#MileyCyrusTwerks

Hey everybody!!! It's the night after the VMAs so you already know what this post is going to be about.  Lately, the last few music awards have not been that great but there has been that one moment that leaves a conversation piece for the next day. The 2013 VMAs did not disappoint us for a conversation piece.

Miley Cyrus wanted us all to know that she is no longer Hannah Montana.  If you thought that for one second, Ms. Cyrus killed that thought with her performance.  I have no idea what I was suppose to get out of it.  There were huge teddy bears, girls twerking, a really big booty girl twerking, a foam finger, and a plastic bikini.  I wish I could have been in on the creative team's meeting when they discussed this "idea".  I actually wish I was on the creative team so I could have backhanded everyone that came up with this concept and then came up with a better one.  But unfortunately, for Miley Cyrus. I was not on the creative team and her performance was a hot mess. 

I agree, Drake, I agree
Source: blog.zap2it.com 



You knew from the get-go it was going to be a disaster.  The moment she stepped out of that fuzzy teddy bear with her tongue sticking out for the world to see, you just knew it was going downhill.  Then for the rest of the performance she felt impelled to continue to show us her reptile-like tongue. She was also doing this weird crump dance and groping herself.  She officially ended the popular dance formerly known as "twerking."  She twerked towards the audience, she twerked on the teddy bears, she put her face on someone else's booty while they twerked; there was just too much twerking for one performance.  What made her twerking  worse was that she was terrible at it.  Like, she wasn't even that white girl that surprises everyone with her dancing moves.  Her dance moves were horrific.  There was nothing graceful about her performance.  Dancing is most definitely not one of her strengths, twerking or not.

Some have said that this was her moving into womanhood moment.  Well, it was not a smooth transition.  Madonna, Brittney Spears, and Christina Aguilera all had their coming of age moment, but I don't remember it being uncomfortable for those watching.  At one point, Miley was bent over in front of Robin Thicke.  He is old enough to be her cool uncle.  I get that she wants to shake her Disney image but this was the worst way to have done that.  It felt like she had watched a marathon of videos on BET and thought she was a bonafide video dancer.  And apparently, she thought hanging with black girls would automatically make her "down".  Were these the black girls she was speaking of in "Party in the USA" song? Probably not.

Miley, this performance was not lady-like.  You will now be the butt of every comedians jokes.  I can only imagine the SNL sketch that is going to be done in your behalf.  If your goal was to have people talking about you then you succeeded.  But honey, I do not think you got the attention you wanted. 

#RacisimIsEveryWhereApparently

Hey everybody!!! Yes, I fell off with doing the #31WriteNow challenge and I am sorry for that but I am going to try to finish out the month strong. 

One of my fav past times is watching HuffPost Live.  It is Huffington Post in live news segments.  Along with their segments, they have panels where anybody can join.  They recently had a panel about the new Netflix series, Orange is the New Black.  They discussed the fact that a white woman had to be at the center of the show for the show to even get past the producer's desk.  In the show, not only do we get the main character's story but we get subplots from the other prisoners.  Some folks (black woman that writes for the Daily Beast) were mad that the black prisoners were just subplots and the fact that minorities have to be a part of the series for a prison show to be believable. 

As I was watching this segment, it was apparent that homegirl was reaching for racism.  And this seems to be a recurring theme: find the racism.  Now if you have ever seen Orange is the New Black you will know that it has a more diverse cast than most shows and all characters are treated with respect.  So if you find racism in this show then that is because you are looking for it.  But why have we become the type of society that is always looking for racism?  To be honest, it is exhausting.  Racism is bad and takes you through a lot of emotions.  Who has the time and energy to look for racism everyday?

 By always looking for racism in every situation that does something dangerous: desensitize others to race issues.  I was reading an article called "Is Food A Race Issue?".  In the article, the author tries to make a correlation between the Trayvon Martin case and a lack of healthy foods in minority neighborhoods (side notes: there are a lack of grocery stores in poorer neighborhoods regardless of race.  They are called food deserts.).  Two problems with that: 1.We do not know if there were not grocery stores nearby Trayvon's neighborhood. 2. He was just wanting snacks to watch the game, not needing to go on a full grocery store trip.  The author was really reaching to make this connection.  In the comment section, a lot of people were fixated on the poor connection between Trayvon and lack of grocery stores instead of the issue of the article and thus started to mock the article.  The readers of this articles just see this as another case of "the boy (or girl) that cried racism". 

Yep, I have coined the term, "the boy (or girl) that cried racism".  This is the direction we are going if we do not start picking our race battles.  There is no reason for a March on Washington every time a show has a black character we do not like.  There is no reason for a public apology every time we do not like a Youtube video.  Racially insensitive people are amongst us.  We can't change all of them.  I don't know about you but the world is depressing enough.  Some battles aren't even worth the time.

#SlaveryAintFunny

Hey everybody!!! If you have not heard, Russell Simmons had to issue an apology for a video that was uploaded to his new Youtube channel, All Def Digital.  Considering the vast variety of videos that are on Youtube, you are probably wondering what is the problem with this video.  The title alone might cause outrage: Harriet Tubman Sex Tape.  This is a sketch where Harriet plans to blackmail her master by making a sex tape with him. 

In a society where we can make a scene where a baby is punched in the face (The Campaign), a comedy sketch about Harriet Tubman is crossing the line.  Tweeters made the argument that Harriet Tubman is too sacred to make her into a spoof.  When making a video like this, we are making ourselves desensitize to this horrible time in history.  But my question is, should we be that offended by a Youtube video that was made to be funny?

Comedy is just that, comedy.  Comedy is used to make fun of the real world.  Comedy is used to show the absurdity of a bad situation.  Comedy is used to help people get through difficult times.  I am not saying that certain comedies cannot offend but I believe we are becoming too sensitive when we start asking people to take videos down and give public apologies.  There has been times I have been watching something that was consider "funny" but I found it offensive.  Let's take multiple episodes of Family Guy, for example.  For awhile, I stopped watching the show.  There was a joke about child molestation and that was just too much.  So I stopped watching it.  As simple as that, I turn the channel and watched something else.  I did not need Seth MacFarlane to write me an apology for the episode nor am I going to change.org to start a petition to get the episode banned from television. 

At some point, we became a hyper-sensitive society, especially when it came to race.  To a degree I can understand.  The entertainment industry has a history of taking cheap shots at minorities.  Even in 2013, black actresses have to fight to get roles besideds stereotypical roles in movies and TV shows.  In the 21st century, black women are still cast as the sassy sidekick and every couple of decades, Viola Davis and Halle Berry will get a shot to play something other wise.  So yea, I get it,  this video most definitely is not helping the movement for good roles for black actresses.  But do we have the right to demand apologies every time we are collectively offended?

That brings me to another issue.  I have a huge problem with public apologies.  I have just never seen one done right and they never come off genuine.  It is understood that the accused celebrity is only apologizing because their publicist advised them to do so. When Rick Ross apologized for his infamous rape lyrics, I think I was more offended by his apology than by the lyric.  I gave better apologies before I was about to get a whooping than this correctional officer turned gangsta rapper.  Russell Simmons' apology was definitely forced by a publicist. 

Was the video funny? Not at all.  Not only because of the subject matter but the video was just not funny, like how The Other Guys was not funny.   Do I feel it should have been taken down? No.  We as a people need to learn to do what I do when I don't like something: Turn the channel. 

#ChangeTheName

Hey everybody!!! Today I am singing "Change the name, change the name" to the tune of Destiny's Child, Say My Name. I am singing this because apparently the government can make you change your child's name.  When in a Tennessee court parents were going back and forth about their child's last name, the judge decided that she had a problem with the child's first name, Messiah. She said that that name only belonged to one human being and that is Jesus. She ruled that the mother had to change the name. The mother is appealing the decision.

I do not completely agree with the judge on her decision, but I wonder should the government at times step in when parents insist on giving their child a crazy name.  Some might say that when the government gets involved with child naming that they are imposing on our freedoms.  But it made me wonder should the government get involved when a parent really does give their child an off-the-wall name.  I remember some time ago reading about a woman whose name is Marijuana Pepsi.  That was her first and middle name.  She has to go throughout her life named Marijuana Pepsi.  Can you imagine the look on the teacher's face on the first day of school?  Can you imagine the look on the employer's face when they see her application?  If a judge had ordered her parents to change her name, would her life been any different?  Well, she is a college counselor so I guess she is doing okay. 

Every parent thinks their child is unique and trys to portray that in their name.  And I do not have a problem with that.  But, parents, do not get crazy.  Remember that this child has to be around other children.  True enough kids are cruel and will find a reason to tease, but do not make your child an easy target.  Don't name your child something absurd to make yourself feel edgy.  And it really irks my nerves when celebrities do it.  Kanye and Kim are the recent culprits of this by naming their child North West.  I'm not feeling it. one. bit.  I feel celebrities just do it for the headlines. 

I'm not sure if I have a problem with Messiah, but I do have a problem with Devious (yes, some parent named their child this).  These kids have to get jobs one day.  Don't mess up their ability to take care of themselves in the future.

What do you guys think about the judge interfering with the naming of the child?

#IAdmirePaul

Hey everybody!!!  When you think of figures in the Bible that inspire most people, some go-to's are Jesus, Noah, or Job.  Now don't get me wrong, these guys are awesome.  But an apostle that inspires me to reevaluate my whole life is the Apostle Paul. 

Paul (formerly Saul) was not somebody you wanted to be friends with when we first meet him in the Bible. Because of misdirected zeal, homeboy was persecuting Christians left and right, even women and children.  He wasn't even remorseful about it because he thought this is what God wanted him to do.  Yep, he thought God wanted him to kill these nonviolent people that weren't a threat to a flea.  Well, Jesus was not having it and blinded Paul.  When Paul started to pray and believe the truth, his sight was restored.  He then went on to preach the good news and make disciples. 

One thing I admire about him is his humility.  At 1 Corinthians 15:9, 10, Paul admits that he did not deserve to be called an apostle.  He understood that what he had done in the past was bad...really bad.  He wasn't the reason that the disciple-making work was being done but because of God's undeserved kindness.  He was only doing what God wanted him to do.  Paul's ability to endure hard times puts your worst day to shame.  While on missionary trips, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, had sleepless nights, went hungry, and was probably going blind (2 Corinthians 11:23-28 and Acts 23:1-5).   Yet, he never stopped preaching.  When I'm in traffic too long, I'm ready to roundhouse kick every car on the highway.  There is a lot I could learn from the Apostle Paul.

People nowadays use being imperfect as an excuse to mess up.  But Paul, too, was imperfect and made note of that.  But he tried to work on improving his flaws.  And even though he was a leader in the congregation, he wasn't puffed with power.  Instead, he led with love and compassion.  People become the shift manager at Burger King and the power goes straight to their head. 

Paul was awesome! When I'm ready to throw in the towel, I think of Paul and his perseverance.  I meditate on what Paul had to overcome and I realize that I can go another day.  Not every day is going to be easy but like Paul we can depend on Jehovah's strength to get us through any trail or tribulation. 

#BestWantedSignEver

Hey everybody!!! One day while browsing Huffington Post, I came across this funny story.  Some guy had his Amazon purchase stolen from his porch.  To find the culprit, he posted this wanted sign around his neighborhood(Sorry you cannot read the sign clearly.  To get a better view go here):





The first thing that made me cackle at this picture was his description of the criminal.  He says that "this is a woman or the bounty hunter has let himself go."  I died and was resurrected after that line alone.  This man started off his wanted sign with no mercy.  I also loved how he referenced Antione Dodson in his description: Hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your internet purchases because they robbing everybody out here.  But the laughs do not stop there.  When giving the details of the perp he says that her eyes are lacking a soul, her nationality is Un-American, sex is female-ish, and hair is cheesy blonde dye job.  Homeboy has the best sense of humor.

 

Unfortunately,  we live in a sad world.  Instead of working, some people rather snatch your internet purchases off your porch. This man showed us that to endure injustices sometimes you have to have a sense of humor.  I do not know if the woman was caught or not, but I hope that she saw this sign and was shame.  If not for stealing, at least be shame for that dye job. 

 

What do you think of this man's wanted sign? 



#10QuestionsIWantToAskQuestlove

Hey everybody!!! Sorry for missing day 8 but it was just not a good day for me.  But I was not ready to throw in the towel on the #31WriteNow challenge.  So I am back to give you another amusing post.

I know that in my last few posts I have mentioned Questlove and even wrote a post about how I have a crush on him.  But as I am finishing his book I have come up with questions that I want to ask if I ever get to meet him.  The following are ten questions I would ask the musical genius Questlove:

1. How did you make up for the time you choked when you met Prince? (When he first met Prince he was very much so star strucked but he would meet him again and would even be invited to a roller skate party hosted by Prince.  I want to know how that second meeting went down.)
2. How did you overcome the awkwardness between you, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) after the infamous Vibe interview? (I'm not sure if the interview was infamous but it sounded like it was infamous by the situation that followed.)
3. Do you still believe people find it weird that you at times like regular hip-hop? (With being considered an artsy hip-hop artist and all)
4. What ratchet songs do you hate to admit that you like? (I like Gutta Chick by Trai'D, myself)
5. As a child, did you ever wish that you were like the other children when it came to your music taste? (I use to wish I liked more hip-hop instead of old school doo-wop)
6. What is one band as a teenager that you would not dare admit to your peers that you liked? (There is no way I would have admitted to my peers that I liked the Mamas and Papas)
7. If you had to pick one to do for the rest of your life, which one would you do: DJ or play drums?
8. Who are some artists that you felt were adding to the "death" of hip hop but then had a change of heart? What made you have a change of hear about that artist? (I know I am cheating by asking 2 questions.  Think of it as a part A and a part B)
9. What artists have you worked with that surprised you with how much you both thought alike musically?
10. When you change direction in your music are you scared of losing your fan base?

Questlove, if you happen to stumble upon this post, how about we get coffee some time and let me pick your brain with some of these questions. 

#FakeItToYouMakeIt

Hey everybody!!! And welcome to day 7 of the #31WriteNow challenge.  It's only day 7 and I already feel like I am running out of topics.  But I will continue to press on and come up with something for the remaining 24 days. 

You have probably heard the title of this post before, "Fake it to you make it."  This saying has never been more true than in the story I read this week.  A rap group from the Bronx, Da YoungFellaz, has spent $130,000 in marketing loans on weed and 1st class tickets to music festivals where they were not even scheduled to perform.  Even crazier, they spent $25,000 in 3 months and have only promoted one song! To get the details on this story, click here. 

What is this madness? Is this what we have to look forward to for the future of hip-hop?  You got people rapping about having millions but they are basically living off loans.  That sounds like some people that live in my neck of the woods.  This is a perfect example of people that want the lifestyle but do not want to work for it.  They want the fame, cars, clothes, 1st class flights, but they do not want to get in the studio and work for it or hit the pavement and promote it. 

Can I blame them entirely? Well, I will put 95% of the blame on them.  The other 5% goes to those who on a basis highlight the lives of these celebrities.  Believe it or not, there was a time when every moment of a celebrity's life was not splashed on the cover of every magazine.  People knew celebrities were rich but it was not something that everyone was trying to attain.  When magazines are plastered with photos of celebrities private vacation and Forbes comes out with a "Who is the richest celebrity in the world?" list every week, it has made people want to try to get this life also.  The media has glamorized a celebrity's lifestyle.  Now you got everybody wanting to fly on a private jet. 

Now if you have private jet money cool, but if you have Greyhound Bus money at best, you most definitely need not to use other people's money trying to pose. Not cool.  What happen to work hard, play hard? Now, it's work somewhat, play harder. I cannot support this new attitude. 

Do you think the sensationalism of the rich and famous has added to people wanting to act like celebrities?

#MyCrushOnQuestlove

Hey everybody!!! In a prior post I mentioned that I am currently reading ?uestlove's book Mo' Metta Blues.  This is one of the coolest memoirs I have ever read.  I have never read a book written like this.  But that is not even what has me infatuated with this book.  The author has intrigued me in away that I have never been intrigued by an author before.  I have even started to listening to The Roots while I'm reading the book.  I'm half way through the book but I have come to a realization: I have a crush on ?uestlove.

In the beginning of the book, ?uestlove talks about how he was not a normal child and how his parents even had him tested.  He didn't play outside and did not always understand that other children did not live the same lifestyle that he did.  And he chocked when met his favorite musician, Prince.  He was socially awkward!  OMG, is he the awkward man of my dreams?!

I have wrote about how I know I am socially awkward and have come to accept that.  However, I can't help but think that me being socially awkward might hinder my dating life.  To help me from becoming too anxious about it I imagine that their must be a guy out their that is just as eccentric as I am.  So as I am reading Mo' Metta Blues it warms my heart to see a guy that is brave enough to show that side of himself.  Reading this story also showed me there are guys who are aware of their socially awkwardness and have learned to have a sense of humor about it. 

I'm not sure if I'm crushing on ?uestlove or the acceptance of his personality or both but he has officially made my "People I want to meet" list. 

P.S. I think this is the second time I have referenced his book in a post so that means you need to read it. 

Source: pastemagazine.com

#PictureMania

Hey everybody!!! Whoever created the picture phone had no idea what influence this small piece of equipment would have on coming generations.  Then along came MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and pictures became something more than just photos on the walls of homes.  In the last couple of years, certain pictures have become staples on the internet.  I have decided to use this post to explore some of those particular photos:

• The Selfie This is a classic.  You simply turn the camera around and take a snap of yourself.  These are nice right after you do your make-up or got a new haircut. Or in some cases, stand in your bathroom in front of the mirror and take a hundred photos until you find one that you like. The problems with selfies is that if you have too many of them you could come off a little conceited.  So you need to be careful with these.

 

A selfie in its common place: the bathroom

 



• The Album Cover You see this when someone is trying to look like they are in deep thought in a profile pic.  You achieve this pic by looking off while the camera is in front of you.  Some even go further and put a black and white filter on it to make it seem artistic.  The main people you see with these kinds of pics are those who write these long, "deep" statuses everyday.  Too many of these pics and you seem like a pretentious douche.

I'm calling my album Who's Ready for Bed? I Am



• The Goofy When people want to show their personality they will take a goofy pic.  I do not have too much of a problem with these pics.  I actually like it when people stop trying so hard in their pics and just le their guard down.

I'm goofy with  a side of tiredness in this pic because I had just climbed a mountain

• The Infamous Duck Lips Everyone has seen this pic or taken one their self.  I do not know exactly when this trend started but at some point women thought poking their lips out was sexy.  Then you saw on every other pic on your Newsfeed.  You know it was getting out of hand when men finally admitted that it very unattractive.  Women have calm down a little bit on this face but like a dear on a side of country road, you see it every once in a while. 

Yes, I'm guilty of duck lips too

What is your favorite pic?

#2Sequels2Many

Hey everybody and welcome to day 4 of #31WriteNow challenge (that was launched by awesome blogger, Luvvie,)!  Today's post was inspired by some foolishness I saw in Wal-Mart.  Every time I'm in Wal-Mart, I go by the DVD section.  At the moment, we do not have cable and so I like to look for TV series on DVD.  As I am browsing, a particular DVD catches my eye.  The title of it is House Party: Tonight's the Night with younger actors and an older Kid and Play on the cover.  This will be the fifth installment in the House Party series and I wish I could backhand whoever thought this was a good idea.

Yep, another unneeded installment for House Party

Who were the group of executives that said "You know what?  We need another  House Party."  At this point, who are they targeting this movie to?  The generation that remembers the first  House Party could care less and this new generation doesn't have a clue who Kid and Play are or what they did for house parties.  As far as I'm concerned they could have stopped after House Party 2.  The other 2 were a waste of film.  I do not know who to be mad at: Hollywood or Kid and Play for letting Hollywood keep making crappy sequels to their legendary movie. 

Unfortunately, House Party is not the only movie that has way too many unnecessary sequels.  Bring It On, tragically, has more sequels than the Harry Potter series.  And why?! It is a movie about battling cheerleading squads.  Do we really need 5 more movies with the same basic plot?  And then there is Step Up, where there are currently 4 installments (one of the installments being in 3D because what's better than seeing a movie you've seen twice before but seeing it coming at you) and according to imdb.com there is a fifth installment in development.  Like, seriously?! The whole dance movie genre is getting old anyways and then Hollywood says "Forget being innovative. Let's just keep recycling this one movie from 2006." 

Consumers, I beg you to not stand for this.  I do not care if the next House Party sequel has Bernie Mac making a cameo from beyond the grave, please, for the love of good cinema do not buy it.  Together, we can bring a stop to bad, did-not-want-it-in-the-first-place sequels.

#TaxFreeWeekend

Hey everybody!!! Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday.  In Arkansas, it is tax free weekend.  For parents, this comes right on time since fall semester is right around the corner.  But for a single girl like me with no kids, it's an excuse to get a new blouse. 

I actually was going to try to avoid going to the stores today.  I knew it was going to be packed and I did not feel like fighting the crowds (the main reason I do not fool with Black Friday).  But because of boredom I ended up at the department stores.  My first stop was Tarzhay (Target).  Usually, I want to buy everything in Tarzhay, today nothing caught my eye.  I have been wanting to do some new styles with my nails so I brought some nail polish.  I think I will call the nail look I am going to try "Summer Chic" (Pics coming soon.  Follow me on Instagram to see them: @ebonymariere)

My next stop was Marshall's.  Considering my closet is a mess and can barely fit the clothes I already have I really did not need anything else.  However, the rebellious me went into the Devil's Den (Marshall's) anyways.  I have been wanting to do better about saving money so I did not go overboard.  I just got a couple of tops.  I also went to Old Navy where I got some accessories. 

I also decided to stop by the Nike store.  Every now and then like to get some new workout apparel.  But when I walked in the store it was total chaos.  There were people every where and lines going to the back of the store.  I couldn't deal so I just walked right back out the store. 

Some of the stuff I bought during tax-free weekend

Whenever I go on an unexpected shopping spree I just say to myself, "I have been working hard and I need a little retail therapy."  Feel free to use that line when you buy something that you don't necessarily need. 

#PlaylistOfMyLife

Hey everybody!! It is nothing new that music reaches people on a personal level.  Regardless, of what type of music you like to listen to, there is one song that can take you back in time.  While doing my summer reading, I have decided to read ?uestlove's new book, Mo' Metta Blues.  Not only is it a memoir but also gives a little bit of history of hip-hop.  Another cool feature of this book is that
?uestlove describes these playlists that reminds him of different periods of his life. 

Reading his playlists got me to thinking about music that means something to me.  The following are songs/albums that take me back to a special time in my life:

• OOOOOOOOOOOO On the TLC Tip: TLC's first album This was my first cassette tape as a child.  This whole album describes what the 90's were: fresh and different.  I was only 4 when I got this tape but I spent hours listening to it.  At that point in my life, TLC was everything.  They were these cool women that had these independent attitudes. They were not the typical girl group wearing tight clothes.  They were wearing baggy clothes with condoms used as accessories.  I remember I wanted a haircut like T-Boz and her raspy voice gave me life before I even knew what giving me life meant.  Later on, I realized that I probably should not have been listening to this tape at 4 years old.  But when I listen to it today it takes me back to that childish period of my life. 
• I Miss You: Aaron Hall Every time I hear this song, it takes me back to being at my sister's house in Memphis, TN.  Another reason this song clings heavily to my memory is because I actually remember the video.  In the video, Aaron's girlfriend is pregnant and he's all excited.  Unfortunately, in the end she dies from giving birth but the baby lives.  I remember thinking that was the saddest video ever.  To this day if this song comes on the radio, I will think about this video. 
• Everything Brittney Spears did in the early 2000s I was a Brittney Stan when I was in middle school.  She was my Beyoncé.  I watched all her Making the Video episodes and tried to learn her routines.  I cannot explain why Brittney's music hypnotized me.  I remember singing Lucky, Oops, I did it Again, Stronger, and Drive Me Crazy over and over again.  It was crushing for me to see her going through her infamous breakdown.  It was difficult watching that talent waste away.  It has done my heart good to see her do better in these last few years.
• I Will Wait Mumford & Sons: Even though this is a recent song, this song for some reason takes me back to college.  I think because this is when folky/indie music started to hit the mainstream.  You heard it on every commercial and trailer for a rom/com movie.  This might sound cliché but during this time in college I was learning who I was: listening to new music, developing my style, trying to figure out what interest me.  Listening to music from this genre helped me to meditate on things going on in my life during that transition period where you are kind of an adult to becoming a working adult.   To this day I like to listen to indie/folk pop when I just want to think. 

Does this song not take you back to a warm place?

 



I have always loved how music can take you back to a familiar place.  Nothing is better than being on a road trip and a song from the past comes on and it makes you think of your first crush, Friday night football games, or hanging with family.  What songs take you back to your past?

#JayZAndHarryBelafonteGotBeef?

 Hey everybody!!! And welcome to the first post in the #31WriteNow challenge.  This was a challenge that blogger, Luvvie, proposed to other bloggers.  The challenge is to write for every day in August.  I have accepted the challenge and I am going to make a strong effort to write for every day this month.  Enjoy all the posts and please feel free to email me any ideas (ebony.read@gmail.com)!

 

Source: The Root

 Let me dive in to this post discussing the "beef" between Jay-Z and Harry Belafonte.  Nope, you did not read that wrong.  Hip-hop mogul and civil rights activist are going at it.  In an interview, Mr. Belafonte was asked was he happy with the image of minorities in Hollywood today.  He replied "Not at all." (Mr. Belafonte even went as far to say that Bruce Springsteen was blacker than Jay-Z.)  To get his full answer as to why he is unhappy with minority celebrities and Jay-Z's reply click here.  He talks about how they have "turned their back on social responsibility" and goes on to name Jay-Z and Beyoncé as perpetrators. 



Well, you know Jigga was not going for that.  In his reply, he basically says that his "presence is charity" and goes on to kind of compare himself to President Obama.  Honestly, I am not surprised by this arrogant answer.  In one of his stage names, he boldly compares himself to God (Hova=Jehovah).  It goes without saying that Jay-Z is one of the most successful rappers in hip-hop.  But let's not get too carried away, Jay, you ain't no Savior.  I do not care how many arenas you sell out. 

I kind of understand what Mr. Belafonte means by social responsibility.  When in your music you refer to women by the b-word and use the N-word in every other lyric it is not going to be taken positively from someone Mr. Belafonte's age.  In his eyes, Jay-Z is not using his influence to set a better example for the current generation.  But do we need Jay-Z to be the poster child for social responsibility?  We have Gabby Douglas, Dwyane Wade, President Obama, Kerry Washington, and others. 

Also, does Jay-Z have to put solving social injustices on his agenda?  One mistake that I think those from the civil rights era has made is by painting a picture that all black people of the past were freedom riders.  That was just not the case.  My mom lived in that era and did not take part in one protest or demonstration.  Does this make her an irresponsible person? Not at all.  My mom played her part in that era by not carrying a bitterness from that time and evolving into someone that, regardless of the times she lived in, she could still treat all with compassion and respect.  That to me is just as powerful as any march that has been organized. 

Basically, this beef is not even worth it.  It seems there is just a misunderstanding between the two. And I see them probably forming a charity together (or presenting an award at the 2014 BET Awards at the very least) to show they have squashed any differences between the two.  For me, it gives something to cackle about with friends.

What do you think of their misunderstanding?