Third Coast

Okay, I finished Third Coast by Roni Sarig, its subtitle: Outkast, Timabland and How Hip Hop became a Southern Thing, and I loved it! I picked this book up at the public library and kind of doubted if I'd read the whole thing, it is 364 pages and I just didn't know if my interest would continue after the first few pages. Remember the adage, "never judge a book by its cover"? Well, that should be taken literally with this title. Sarig gives readers a comphrensive view of rap and hip hop. He has done a lot of research and explains how rap and hip hop have evolved from the spoken word and disc jockeys. Sarig does use rap and hip hop interchangeably as most people do, but had he not, it would probably read "how rap became a southen thing." He only devotes a few paragraphs in the entire book to groups like Public Enemy, and artists like Common and Kanye West. Although they don't hail from the south, he gives hardcare rappers like Snoop, Tupac, and Biggie a lot of pen time.

Because I came of age during the evolution of rap and hip hop, I was so engrossed in this book. I took a trip down memory lane as he talked about the formation of The Geto Boys, UGK, Outkast, TLC, etc. (For another great book about Outkast, I suggest Hey Ya: The Unauthorized Biography of Outkast by Chris Nickson.) I always knew that the entertainment business was about perception, but he reiterated that as he gave the history of these groups. Many don't live the lifestyle they rap about, they just know that it sells and the more "shock value" the better. Many use that as a gateway and once established they start rapping about values and responsibilities, many times on deaf ears. Sarig points out that the largest consumers of rap music are white surburban teens. They want to escape their world and fantasize about the "hard life."

I learned a lot about the hustle and hard work of getting your voice heard. I didn't realize how much of rap is started in the underground world. I know there isn't much money in it until an artist reaches the status of Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. I think because everything is constantly evolving, we are seeing a change in the lyrics. I know I'm sick of the gangster stuff, the bling, the women. I'm starting to notice that instead of sampling, many are coming up with their unique sound and Sarig discusses the different types like snap, bass and 808 beats.

It bothers me that people say they hate rap music without really giving it a chance. There are so many subgenres...gangstar, blues, country (Cowboy Troy), jazz, political, etc. The market is saturated with a lot of artists, most of them for the money, but there are some that need to be heard. Instead of focusing on the negative, look at the many foundations and charities these artist promote.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, hip hop is a movement. Let's move!

Why?

I remember the hip hop song by Jadakiss in which he questioned things that are happening in the world around us. I stole his title because I want to question things that are happening in my house. LB is back in Oklahoma with his dad, so I'm left with DQ and LP. LP lately has become a mini version of DQ and that is why I'm about to pull my hair out.

The school year started in early August, so that means DQ is back to her usual social self. She is currently in the 7th grade and Jr. High School is a totally different scene. She no longer wants me to give her any advice on her clothes or hair. I try to think about my Jr. High years, I don't remember an obsession with clothes or hair. I really don't remember much, maybe something awful happened to me and I'm blocking those years out. I do remember finally being able to go to football and basketball games, so when DQ asked me if she could go to the game on Friday, I told her I'd think about it. That is now a closed subject because she lost $20 her dad had given her. Which brings me to my why. Why is she so careless? She said someone stole the money from her backpack which lead to my question, "Why would you put money in your backpack and not your pocket?" Her answer, shrugging her shoulders which only got my blood boiling. She kills me with her laissez-faire attitude about things. She has lost seveal things, including expensive gifts and she acts like it's no big deal. This lead me to go on a tantrum for about twenty minutes which after the first minute she probably heard, "blah, blah, blah." I refuse to buy her anything expensive, because she doesn't value anything. She spent $5 on fingernails at Wal-Mart and they lasted about two hours, a total waste.

My next why is why do I have to tell her to do the same thing every morning? I mean, I wake her up, tell her fifty times to actually get up and moving. I remind her to brush her teeth, wash her face, get her things. Some days I don't say anything just to see if she is going to do it, nope. I can't help but think the way she looks (and smells) is a reflection of me, so I refuse to let her go to school without taking care of personal hygiene, but it's frustrating to no end. I try to explain to her the importance of establishing a routine and I get the eye roll.

My next question is why do I have to go over the importance of reading and studying with her on a daily basis? When she walks through the door, I expect her to sit down at the table and do something for 30-45 minutes, but it's like pulling teeth, especially on the days where there is no homework assignment. I thought my love of reading would continue on with my children, but DQ refuses to do any recreational reading unless it's in the form of a magazine. She speeds through her homework and then it's the phone for the next two hours. I'm going to limit that phone time and make her focus more on her studies. It is my responsibility as a parent and after working in higher education for the past three years I know the importance of having a good foundation. She always says she doesn't want to go to Northwest, but if she doesn't buckle down and earn scholarships, that is where she will be.

Enough about DQ, now on to LP. LP started Kindergarten this year. I was a bit afraid of how she might respond because she has been in a program at Northwest for the past two years. She was one of ten children that recieved a lot of attention and instruction from our students enrolled in the Child Development Progam. I thought the lack of attention might cause problems, but it hasn't. I think bored is the word. They've been in school three weeks and last week her teacher started sending home a behavior chart. Smiley face= great day ; green mark=warning ; = half yellow=missed 1/2 of recess ; entire yellow=missed recess. So, out of twelve days, we have three smileys ; one entire yellow ; one half yellow and the rest green marks. It seems she just loves to talk, she doesn't talk to anyone in particular, she just talks. I explained to her that she has to be quiet and she may be disturbing others and I think she's calmed down a bit. I was relieved to find that all the students have a hard time the first of school and the last of school. Her teache assured me that as they learn the routine she will do better. I think her teacher is tough, but I like tough.

So LP is pretty wiped out at night and we all know what that means...temper tantrums. I just put her in the bathtub and the bed. Mornings are hard, she never wants to get up and she often hides in DQ's room to get a bit more rest. Going the motions with her every morning is okay, she's only five, but the drama has to stop!

Pimps Up, Ho's Down

When I saw the title Pimp's Up, Ho's Down: Hip-Hop's Hold on Young Black Women by T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting I thought finally someone is going to enlighten me on why women continue to bounce and shake in videos while the artist is usually referring to her in a degrading manner. I want to know why I still listen to it. I read the book and I'm still left wondering. I can honestly say that when I finished reading this book, I thought "huh?" The book jacket describes Whiting as an insider having grown up in midst of hip-hop's evolution. If that is supposed to add to her "expertise" then I could've written a book on the same subject, because Whiting is only a few years younger than me. Oh yeah, they also credit her work as a runway model and print model as experience. She is also a professor of African American and Diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University. I guess that explains all of the language, I had to have my dictionary on hand to read this book! That bugs me to no end, in an effort to make things "scholarly" or "intellectual" some writers feel they have to use big words.

Moving on, Whiting does argue that these women are just making a living like the rest of us and what they do is not who they are. Whiting was a model and that income helped put her through graduate school. I know there are women who use their "skills" (stripping, modeling, videos) because it is a lucrative income. But what about the young women who do it because of how it is portrayed in mass media? Whiting uses the movie The Player's Club as an example for both cases. One is stripping to help pay her college tuition, the other to just make money and get attention. Whiting's review of the movie is that "the movie is neither poorly written, nor directed, nor acted." Okay, I've seen this movie, the premise is great, but the acting is HORRIBLE. But considering that Whiting is a student of Michael Eric Dyson's, it's understandable that she would think that way. Despite that, I kept reading and found the chapters on groupies and strippers fascinating. But the book is filled with a lot of rhetoric and I left with the feeling that she doesn't want to "offend" anyone.

If you want to understand why hip-hop has a hold on Black women, I suggest the following titles: When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost by Joan Morgan and Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America by Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden. Or you can just ask me. My credentials dont' include experience in "adult entertainement" but I am a Black women who listens to hip-hop and I came of age during the evolution of hip-hop.

In my quest to answer this question, I've been reading about more hip-hop. Hip-hop is not just music, it's a movement and though many are focused on the negative aspects, there are many positives. There are many subgenres of hip-hop. I know of such artists, but we have to remember everything tends to be commercialized and sex sells.

I have come to terms that I am of the hip-hop generation and instead of fighting it, I've learned to embrace it and all it stands for. Hip-hop is a way of life, it's thinking outside the box and realizing their is "more than one way to skin a cat." Change is good, everything continues to evolve. Embrace it, learn from it and grow.

What Color Are You?

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius. Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way. While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Ghettonation

I just finished the book Ghettonation: A Journey Into the Land of Bling and Home of the Shameless by Cora Daniels. Her quest-- to find out what exactly it means to be ghetto. When the word was first introduced, it was a noun. It was where people lived, it begain with the segregation of Jews. As time passed it became lower income folks in large cities. But time has caused the word to evolve and it is now an adjective to describe crazy behavior. I guess you could equate it with the word redneck.

The first time I heard ghetto used to define a person was about ten years ago. The person was defined as ghetto because she did not graduate from high school, has served about five years in prison, had three children (all with different men), and did whatever she had to do to make ends meet. It was rare to hear the word to describe a person then, but now it is very commonplace.

Daniels explains that ghetto is not used to describe a particular group of people, but crosses all lines-- racial, age, socioeconomic, gender, and locale. It is behavior like renting a house and buying an expensive car, but it can also mean buying a huge house and not being able to afford furniture for it. It is a mindset of materialism instead of wealth building. We see it daily in kids who are dressed in all the latest fashions, but can't read. We hear it in our language-- baby daddy/mamma. She uses endless examples of how ghetto is now part of our culture.

Daniels has a unique perspective on the issue because she lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and has a daily glimpse into the lives of those who are considered the epitome of "ghetto." She talked to people all over the States to find out what it means to be ghetto and why so many people think it's a compliment to be defined as such. We all know the strong influence that hip-hop has on our youth and that is probably the root of the problem. Cable has given our children access to much degredation and disrespect.

My problem with Daniels, is that she, like others discusses the problem and gives no solutions. She does talk about the lack of parenting that goes on now, but HOW do we solve it? It left me thinking of how I can make a difference in my family and community. I think we need to stop making excuses and pointing finges and take responsibility for what is happening.