Cop Jeremiah Weed.

Bun B, Trae, Quanell X, MC Wickett Crickett, Willie D, and Scarface at Trayvon Martin Community Rally

The Trayvon Martin Community Rally at Houston’s Emancipation Park on 3/25 was truly a beautiful event. People from all walks of life gathered at the historic park to protest not only the Trayvon Martin case, but also police brutality and the plague of black on black crime. The rally was lead by Houston activist Quannell X and featured several Houston politicians and community leaders. The hip hop community was in full force as MC Wickett Crickett, Scarface, Willie D, Bun B, Trae, Slim Thug, and Lil O all used to vocal talents to mobilize the engaged crowd.

Here’s a clip of Trae’s and Bun B’s remarks:

I want to take a break from music to talk about two cold blooded killings of young black men. In Florida, 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by 28 year old George Zimmerman while walking home from a local store. Zimmerman, nightwatch captain for the gate community where Martin was staying, felt the unarmed Black teen looked suspicion, trailed him, and after an alleged altercation, shot him. In New Orleans, N.O.P.D.  shot and killed an unarmed Wendell Allen, 20, during a marijuana raid at a private home.

There’s no way to even remotely question the illegitimacy of Martin’s murder. I’m sure, however, that many will have less sympathy for Allen, since he was caught up in a drug bust. Let’s be real though. The police found 4.5 ounces of marijuana which is probably a fraction of the amount you can find at your average state-college frat house. That’s irrelevant, however, because the fact that Allen was unarmed meant that his shooting death was absolutely unjustified. An unarmed civilian shouldn’t be shot by cops no matter what the situation. At the end of the day, both Martin and Allen died in the name of “justice.”

It’s cases like this that me and other Black men paranoid as hell. There’s really no safe space for us. If we innocently walk home through a white neighborhood after a quick skittles run, we could be gunned down by quasi-security. Even when we stay confined to our segregated ghettos, the crooked police run up in our homes and shoot us.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re doing with your life. Two years ago, I was harassed by NYPD at a park in Fort Greene, NY. I was talking to my sister and massage pain out of my right ankle, two police men ran up on me out of nowhere. They aggressively ordered me to stand up, then one proceeded to forcefully pat me down as the other tore through by backpack. After finding nothing, they asked for my id. I proceeded to explain to them that I lived in Indiana and was vacationing in New York. In an unapologetic and blameful tone, they admitted to somehow mistaking the massaging of my ankle for the rolling of a joint. The told me to be safe and then drove off. Thankfully, I was cool throughout the incident, although being manhandled by armed authorities inflamed my already high blood pressure. After the incident, my sister was irate. But sadly, I took it as par for the course.

Sometimes I wonder where we belong. We live in a system that arrests our development and sometimes, as in cases like these, ends our lives altogether.  If the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is guaranteed to citizens, then what does that make us? All of our rights seem alienable.

This life is war. The mind is our best weapon. Stay armed.

R.I.P. Trayvon Martin and Wendell Allen

Peace

Last week, I was blessed to see Ganxsta NIP perform at fellow South Park Coalition member Justice Allah’s album release party. Ganxsta NIP is a grossly under appreciated Houston legend, who originated the “psycho style” of rap in the early 1990s. The “psyco style” eventually became known as horrorcore and was made popular by artists such as Esham, The Gravediggaz, and Emimen and has also been a major influence on younger artists like Tyler the Creator and Spaceghostpurp.  Psycho style/horrorcore features graphic depictions of horror-movie like violence inscribed with a sense of otherworldliness. Ganxsta NIP’s psycho rap stands apart from the rest because of its underlying, and sometimes explicit, social consciousness fueled by NIP’s participation in the Nation of Islam. The style was first broadcast to the world on his Rap-A-Lot Records debut, The South Park Psycho (1992) and developed over the course several solo and South Park Coalition albums.

His most recent album, H-Town Legend: Still Gettin’ It In is a mix of Islamic teachings, H-Town flossing, and his trademark psycho rap. NIP’s in rare form and the production thumps. Here’s a clip of him performing my favorite song off the album, “Prove It To Me”:

Quick Message from Ganxsta NIP:

Peace

Oh yeah, and 9th Wonder is on the tables.

Furthermore, the solo albums only made them better MCs. I think the jump, emceeing wise, from 36 Chambers to Wu-Tang Forever was in-part due to the solos. It gave them a comfortable space to build their identity and sharpen their skills.

Anyways, Raekwon offers an interesting take that I’ve never heard before. Check it out…

And this is the true return of Straight Gangsterism. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to bring the site back and this is the perfect one.D-Risha and Purple Bastard make unique, progressive, high quality music that the world needs to be exposed to. While my site’s focus will remain music, I also plan to expose and comment on a variety of interesting art forms as well as social issues.

WE’RE BACK!

Peace

One of my professors hipped me to this girl. In her “Holy Shit” video, she identifies as a White, but I read that she is at least part Latina.  She’s from Cali, but is living in Texas (Houston, I think). She’s skilled, but I’m not super moved by her music. Check her out:

“Holy Shit”

“Drunk Love”

New Orleans MC and former No Limit Soldier Tre-8 passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident on May 28, 2011. My condolences go out to his loved ones and fans. Read more here.

Peace