Wisdom & Power

Theme Music: "Family Business" by the Fugees

Peace,

A few reflections:

- This weekend, TV Land had a Good Times marathon. They actually showed Good Times all day saturday and sunday. Due to the fact that I recently critiqued the Cos, I won't go as in-depth as I usually would, b.u.t. here's what I dug:

- You could see the show becoming more coonish as it went along, and especially after John Amos left and J.J. became the star of the show

- It was deep when they subtly replaced James senior with Mr. Dixon, Micheal's boss at the hardware store to have a male figure

- Michael went from Black Nationalist in the early years to loverboy and intellectual at the end

- From watching the credits, it was plain to see that they had a high writer turnover, which may have accounted for the lack of consistency

- It would've been cool if somebody could have moved out just so that had a little taste of reality

- As strong as gangs were in C-Medina (Chi-town)during the 70's, they should've had a larger presence

- As my brother C'bs Alife Allah pointed out on his blog, learning 120 is not optional for Gods in the NGE. Please don't come trying to shape our Culture according to your personal tastes.

- I don't know what he did, b.u.t. Dame Dash sure is getting the short end of the stick these days

- With that said, Dash's signing of Sizzla is extremely promising. A roster of Beans and Sizzla Kalonji? Strictly fire and brimstone

- I read the Lauryn Hill interview in Trace magazine the other day. From my perspective, we may never know what she could have brought to the table if she didn't get hurt

- You know what Hip Hop lacks? An element that bridges original people in America with the diaspora. The last person to do it was the fugees, and look how many records they sold. And no, Ludacris going to Africa does not count, noble as he may have thought it was

- To all those who are not of NGE, please do not call Allah "Clarence 13 x". It's disrespect. If you're religious, and have a problem calling a man God as you understand him, then call him Father Allah. It's exactly the same as calling El Hajj Malik Shabazz Malcolm Little. OR Elijah Muhammad Elijah Poole

- Where is Osama and Mullah Omar?

The Caged Tiger pt.2

Theme Music: "Philadelphia" by Oschino

Peace,

In my previous post regarding street organizations, I discussed some of their history and examples of consciousness and politicization within said organizations. The discussion among those of us who are dedicated to the growth & development of the youth is now how to educate and politicize them in this day and time. Like with many issues within the Black community, there's a segment of the population that romanticizes the 60's and the efforts of Fred Hampton, the Young Lords, and others. What they fail to see is that we are living in a vastly different time where the efforts to destroy the youth have been magnified. Simply put, the youth of today face many more obstacles than 40 years ago. There were no crack babies, ADHD, or 50 cent in 1969.

Another element that has changed is the intent, structure, and organization of the street organizations. During the 60's and 70's, many of the street organizations were just beginning and had not become staples within our communities. Additionally, some of them were outgrowths of clubs that were formed to protect the Black Community from White social clubs, so they had a different orientation than the street organizations today (A great example is the Slausons, who protected members of the then-developing Black community from White mobs. The Slausons, who at one time were led by Black Panther Bunchy Carter before he was killed by the US organization, eventually formed the base for the Crips). Additionally, the SO's weren't the multi-million organization with dues, picnics, bylaws, and mandates that they are now.

So what to do?

With all that said, I see that there are some interventions that can change the direction of the SO's. It entails the following:

1) Stop using tactics and rhetoric from past generations - As I stated, It's a new day and while many of the conditions remain, there are a number of elements that have changed. It's 2005 and when we look back, it's for ammunition and not comfort.

2) Utilize contemporary mediums and elements to teach and educate - Gangs use websites; So should you. Anything that they use, you should use b.u.t. reverse the polarity, and communicate positive pertinent messages. The Bloods have grown like wildfire due to the music of Game and the Diplomats. We have to use music and create street movements to reinforce our messages and ideas.

3) Make sure that our approach is wholistic - The issues are not only social, they're also economic. We have to be able to provide solutions to the variety of issues that the youth face, and empower them to solve their own issues and the issues of the future.

Cosby & Class

Theme Music: "Lady of My Life" - MJ (Way before the Drama)

Peace,

Today's Mathematics is Knowledge Culture all being born to Power. In the NGE, we make sure that Knowledge is the foundation of our Culture, so that it can be quantified and qualified. Also, you have to look at the relationship between Knowledge and Culture, as Culture and it's various
mainifestations serve as the foundation for your viewpoint on life.

The other day, I watched a Cosby Show marathon on TV Land. As I'm watching, I'm thinking back to the whole brouhaha (?) over Cos and those bougie statements he made last year. In reality, his comments just underscored the rift between middle class and poor Black folks. Micheal Eric Dyson and others berated Cos for his statements, and him turning his back on those still in the "Ghe-to", as J.J. from Good Times would say.

If you look at the Cosby Show from a class perspective, you'll see some interesting things. Here's what I got out of it:

- While the show was kept up to date in an international sense (hence, the anti-apartheid sentiment), it was totally oblivious to the reality of the Black Community in America. No Black family in the 80's was out of the reach of the Crack epidemic, unemployment, or the rising incarceration rates of Black Men. It either happened to you, or it happened to a family member, b.u.t. no one was unscathed.

- Hip Hop played a very small role in the lives of the Huxtable children. Where the hell did they live in Brooklyn?

- Cos had a lot of love for Jazz, which isn't as bougie as it seems. To me, his musical and artistic taste had more to do with exposure than class.

- It didn't really seem as though they lived in Nueva York. The show was so general, they could have lived anywhere.

- The first 5 or 6 seasons of the show was like middle class heaven. It wasn't until the last few seasons that things started to change.

- All of Theo's friends at NYU were just like him. Whatever happened to diversity?

- All black families have some class mixing, b.u.t. with the Cos, that didn't happen until Cousin Pam came to live with them late in the game.

- Issues like Teen Pregnancy didn't come up until Pam got there, and even then it wasn't discussed in the context of the community.

- Religion wasn't discussed much, however you got the feeling that they were at least nominal Christians. It's interesting to see that no other religions or cultures were introduced to the mix. Speaking of which, all of the names of the children were straighter than 6:00. Cos was trying to paint a fantasy world like he came through the 70's with no black after- effects.

- Remember Theo's spin-off? It was him going into the hood to mentor and work with young boys. Cliff never showed that inclination.

- When Denise came back, you could tell that she was on some other sh!*,b.u.t. they didn't go into it. She was into organic foods and had locks down her back. The way they played it, she acted like a upper class black hippie.

- When Vanessa brought home the plumber, that was the first time you saw any class tension.

Life & Death

Theme Music: "1964" BY Tru N Livin

Peace,

Last weekend, while in Medina for the International African Arts Festival, I received news that Rageim Supreme Allah returned to the essence (What people commonly term "dying") in a car crash. Rageim was Knowledge Power (15) years old, and is the Sun of Ramel Supreme Allah, a God who figures prominently in the overall Growth & Development of the NGE in Power Born. Additionally, Rageim lived in Pittsburgh for many years, and was part of our family. When anybody returns, it can be tough due to the physical absence of the person, b.u.t. when a child returns, it's even tougher because you start to think about the potential of the child. In our Culture, the children are the best part, so for any of them to return prematurely, it's impact is magnified.

On Saturday, a number of Gods and Earths from Power Born attended the funeral in Maryland. What emerged from the event was a testimony to the young God's life by those who knew him. Here are some points I gathered from the event:

- Make sure that a "Homegoing Celebration" (as it was called) is truly a celebration of life vs. A celebration of death. When we come together for those kind of events, it's best to focus on the positive versus reinforce the negative (in this case, the fact that the young God returned).

- If a child's life is made up of more than one Culture, than make sure that all the cultures are properly represented in that ceremony. Contrary to popular belief, there's more than Christianity in the Black Community.

- The whole cipher made me reflect on my relationship with my young Moon (Daughter), and how deeply I treasure her and her life. We must be diligent in letting everyone we love know that we love them and where we stand with them in the now.

Rageim Supreme's young life was not in vain, and we will continue to build Allah World Manifest in his name as well as all of the Gods and Earths that came before us. Within the universal cycle of life, everything has a purpose and a reason, and everyday more of that cycle is understood and acted upon. Life and death have no partnership, yet within the great cycle, they are connected and intertwined.

Build & Destroy

Theme Music: "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane

The past weekend, I traveled to Medina (Brooklyn) and Power Allah (Philadelphia). Had a great time, and here are some of my reflections on the weekend:

- On Saturday, 52nd street in West Philly felt like a Arabian or North African Bazaar. Brothers with long beards and skirts selling oils and White T Shirts, and sisters with all black abayas on going to buy Islamic books. There should really be some study on the effect of Islam in Philadelphia and surrounding areas

- You know Mike Jones is huge when my Old Earth (Mother) has already developed a distaste for him. You ain't heard nothing till you heard a 55 year-old woman try to mimic the chorus to "Back Then"

- Why does every radio station sound the same no matter where you go? Corporate control has made everything so homogeneous

- It's very easy to get lost in Brooklyn

- The Head of Medina (Fort Greene) is barely recognizable due to gentrification. It went from the Hood of Hoods to Yuppie and Boho heaven. While I'm all for communities becoming more livable, we have to make sure that people aren't priced out of their neighborhoods in the process. For all those who may not know, Fort Greene is called the head of Medina because that's the first place where the Knowledge came to Brooklyn. It was brought by ABG#7, who is known as the father of Medina.

- Dashikis are expensive as all get out. You gotta have money to look cultural these days

- The International African Arts Festival was beautiful. It was a zone where looking and acting civilized was the rule and not the exception. With that said, the whole scene felt just a mite fake. It was like some people were playing the Afro - Cultural role.

- Why do people wear shirts of people whose ideas they're not totally in line with? If I see one more shirt of Che worn by someone who isn't a internationalist, I'ma start hollering at people

- Original people eat a lot of Fried Fish

- Rastas have so much Culture that you can actually put together a 'How to be a Rasta' Starter Kit. At the Arts Festival you could buy everything you need to be a Rasta

- Even though they left the NOI years ago, Orthodox Muslims prepare Fried Fish like it's 1972

- If Hip Hop is any indication of Black life, we are far too fractured. These days we're playing the the extremes of either holier than thou or mega-ignorant