SOHH NYC
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R.I.P MLK; DIS: The "Today Show" Compares 50 Cent with Obama
Posted on January 19, 2009 9:00 AM
First and foremost, happy belated birthday and R.I.P to Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/15/29-4/4/68), who paved a way for black America-- and this country as a whole-- in more ways than anyone could ever imagine. For those who have crappy jobs, I hope they at least have the decency to let you enjoy MLK day at home.
The Inauguration of Barack Obama is just 24 hours from now, and the streets of D.C are becoming more and more saturated as the hours go by-- and will continue to do so even in the late night hours. Just 24 hours from now, our 44th President will be sworn in as the chief executive of a country that has been robbed, sabotaged, and made a crying shame in the eyes of countless people around the world. Thanks to the past HORRIFIC 8 years led by the book-dumbness/crooked brilliancy of a President that many of YOU voted for. Twice. But we're moving past that now. Or so they say.
Abraham Lincoln? Franklin D. Roosevelt? John F. Kennedy? The comparisons are numerous. But one thing that is unprecedented is the fact that the 44th President of the United States is black.
As a reporter for a news talk radio station located here in New York City, I asked many people on the streets last week one thing: If Barack Obama's presidency has-- or has not-- lived out Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Not one person was able to answer that question. And that's not shocking; the answer to that question is not as easy to voice as it seems. Let it sit and marinate before you answer that. Better yet, check out MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech (1963) below:
"But 100 years later [after Abe Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation] the Negro still is not free..."
Does Obama's election mean that all is equal and free for blacks in America? No, it most certainly does not. A country that was built on racism will NEVER be without a racial hierarchy. Whether or not Obama's election is the forefront of something fishy going on behind the scenes, a black President is something that should not be a first in this country-- a country that established an Emancipation 146 years ago.
We still have slaves in America, and they come in all forms. One of those forms, let it be told, are rappers. People like 50 Cent who are encouraged by labels to preach drug pedaling, murder, and anything having to do with the life of a "gangster" get the most push, the most promo, the most funding for their albums. Why? Because it entices the most people-- primarily ignorant kids in ghettos around the country-- and the world. Thus bringing in more dollars. I'm not preaching, just stating the facts. Besides that, we have the white suburban kids who buy into this nonsense as well, who believe that a bulk of these rhymes which are overly fabricated-- are real. And I can go on and on and on.
The point of me saying all of the above is, I can't co-sign what I saw on the "Today Show" this morning. They did an entire segment on "44 Vs. 50 Cent"-- "44" representing the 44th President of the U.S-- and they asked four Howard students which one better represents or relates to black America: 50 Cent or Barack Obama?
The fact that they even asked that question says a lot about this f*cked up country. And the fact that two out of those four students took the bait exemplifies just how oblivious many blacks are to these subtle forms of racism.
And that's my two cents.
Of course American television can't embrace the legacy of a great black man--being MLK-- without throwing some kind of salt in the game. But what else is new?
Happy Martin Luther King day. And may the forthcoming Inauguration bring forth a better America.
Reckless, you are as dumb as they get, aren't you. Did I read this correctly; I mean, did you ACTUALLY just throw this statement in the middle of your high-and-mighty speech???
We still have slaves in America, and they come in all forms. One of those forms, let it be told, are rappers.
????????
What... da... f#ck did you just say?
I'm laughing so hard at you because you were really feeling yourself just now, posting some pretentious paragraph about MLK like you really know whassup. You're like a kid that wears glasses just to LOOK smart.
But, of course, your ignorance couldn't be restrained for long. Calling RAPPERS modern-day slaves?????
?????????
This is a first: I'm actually speechless. I don't where to begin in exposing you for your Steve Erkel self.
Wow. Ignorance and stupidity at it's finest.
Footnote: Why are all these negroes who voted for Obama thinking that they're actually AS SMART as Obama? Reckless, you're still the same fool you were before the election.
Great blog. I find it amazing that most people come to these blogs just to hate on the guy that wrote it. Its your damn computer, if you think Reckless sucks so bad, why do you read his blog everyday? Why do you comment everyday. Haters are losers! If you can do it better then start your own site and make something better. Fucking idiots!
Say what you want to say. What Obama winning the presidency shows that with a lot of hard work and dedication. Anyone can do whatever they want. No more excuses.
I share your complete disgust with that Today Show segment. If you see a clip of it online, please post it. I need to see it again, it was that patronizing and offensive.
I can even take your point a little further with the rapper statement. I just found it funny that some of our black people said that Obama was a sellout or Uncle Tom when the real sellouts and Uncle Toms are these Gangster Rappers, Deadbeat dads, and drug dealers. I say that because when these kids get the image that being a Gangster Rapper that talks about selling drugs or calling our black women out of there name is what is cool but that a person that has an education that talks proper English is trying to be white is just crazy. AmeriKKKa loves this because a black man with an education is more of a threat then any rapper or drug dealer.
excuse me mr.reckless but if not for these rappers that you call slaves would you even have a forum to speak on,would this site even exist without rappers.I'm not excusing anyone from there on personal actions but lets be real,we all are by products of our environment one way or the other ,good or bad.All of us have decisions to make and i feel that you are at a cross road in your so called journalistic career.(1)Due you continue to write for a site that caters to these so caled slaves as you put it,or(2)Due something about it if you really do care.But please dont continue to bite the hand that feeds you.
I know i don't always agree with the author of this blog - AKA - Reckless, but he has spoken the truth. And to the cat with the first comment - AKA - React, i don't think all the rant and disrespect was necessary. You do know what a slave is right?
Rappers are for the most part assigned an image which they must represent or play out before their projects are given the go ahead. I'm not saying for certain that that's the case with 50 cent, but i can speculate that DMX was a victim of it. Although he was also eating off of his success, the labels were swimming in wealth off expoloiing him.
DMX as we know tends to be bipolar, but if he had his way, he wouldn't be that thug that you see on TV all the time. But that's the image that was selling records, that's the image that was appealing to America and that was evident in the sales numbers he was putting up. I mean, the cat debuted at No.1 over 85% of the time with his albums.
Remember that X always had a gospel song or a prayer or both on all his albums. It was only on the last one that a gospel song was put out as a single.
So, does modern day slavery exist- yes, no matter how dummed down it may seem. only a few of these artists actually control their image. Believe it or not, in their contracts, they have to sign away a certain portion of their rights to control their stage name or image.
This type of marketing is responsible for your favorite rapper getting jacked or getting tested in the streets day after day because people wanna test them to c if they really portray what they rap about. But remember, its entertainment to most, (I know its real to some) of these rappers. Why don't we test Neo to see if he's really "the one"? (I digress).
It's also another reason why some of ur favorite rappers can only play certain roles in movies. Only a few of them have been able to move away from that thug image and portray other non-violent or non street characters in movies.
Anyways, as far as the 50 cent comparison to Obama, that's not a balanced comparison but to answer it, Obama relates to more Af-Americans than 50 does. 50 might relate to a certain "class" - so-to-speak- of Af-Americans who probably want to believe that thug life or who actually live it. Obama reaches out to all, because thug or not, u've at one time or the other felt the "Black" Struggle. While all can relate to working hard and attaining ur goal, not all can relate to "being in the streets' and achieving ur goals...
Easy.
P.S. It's easy to go on a rant... dang
So Americans voted for Bush in two elections. Can someone please list 3 things that Bush is 100% responsible for that has hurt our country. Funny how you didn't mention that Bush is looked to as a god-like figure in Africa. Or that his cabinet has more members of minority races than any other previous President.
I completely concur in that regard about what this gentleman speaks of, the rap game is completely oversaturated with stereotypes and the like. Its above all else unequivocal and down right immoral. i say this because of the lack of creativity and character these artists have for their albums that they put out. I mean is it so hard to come up with some type of subject matter in order to get a point across? Do you really have to Bitch and Ho a woman down constantly? I mean I haven't seen anyone with any type of passion for putting out good music let alone incorporate positive messages within the music to cause some type of influence. Interscope, Universal, EMG, and Sony are just signing up artist for the hell of it. If WE the people who use our hard earned money at these low paying jobs can save up to put some damn gucci on layway we can at least get our money's worth with something that can make us believe again in ourselves that we can accomplish anything instead of breaking each other down. I find it very interesting that if you REMOVE poverty altogether people are more happy, but what happens when your neighbor is unhappy, then he/she takes their anger and frustration out on the closest person nearby namely you. if you REMOVE poverty away and everyone has something to each their own then everyone is happy, but when you've got poverty in such high extremes then guess who your neighbor is going to steal from? You. Music, Politics, Religion all these things play a role in our lives. Music is embedded deep within our subconcious and causes major influence believe it or not, now im not saying it will cause you to riot, kill, and maim.No im simply implying that music does play a role in regards to behavior i mean prime example if a lady and I were talking and some sons of funk's "Pushin Inside of You" came on what do you think me and this lady are going to do? lol. But I do think everyone IS responsible for his/her own actions and must be held accountable.
Religion is an absolute must I don't care what anybody says there is a higher power that is far more complex than we could have ever fathomed, Religion gives you belifs, morals, and guidelines to follow in order to accquire salvation and rightousness. Could any of you imagine what the world would be like if their was NO god at all? It would be utter chaos! Not to mention no order at all, god is all knowing, all seeing , and most of all Love you can't live in this world without him im sorry you just can't.
And Politics affects all of us rich and poor, politicians make the laws up that we must abide by majority of the time; however it is most of the time unfair towards a certain demographic(Minorites) so we as americans must make the effort to get the word out speak on these issues with these damn political figures and try to make something happen before we all become victims like sean bell, oscar grant,etc.
so i said what i wanted to say which was a whole lot and bid everyone avoir.
>>React, i don't think all the rant and disrespect was necessary. You do know what a slave is right?
I'll pose the same rhetorical question to the others who have posted and seemed to have totally missed the obvious and have made the same idiotic mistake.
Slaves (specifically referring to our African ancestors who were brought over to this land) are captives who, against their will, have been bought and sold like merchandise - forced into a lifetime of hard labor with little or no wages - subjected to both physical and mental cruelty (degredation and dehumanization), imprisoned in an entire system that included every facet of society and virtually every person in the country that was not Black like they, etc, etc...
After many generations, the Black population fought back to be free of this oppression and begin (slowly but steadily) regain and establish their dignity within society.
NOW, DO I REALLY NEED TO EXPLAIN HOW A RAPPER DOESN'T FIT THE SAME DESCRIPTION???
To compare rappers and the hip-hop music industry to slaves and an era of slavery is by far not only the stupidest thing going, it is total disrespect for those who actually experienced this struggle and it's ramifications.
Reckless (and any of you idiots who concur with his comparison) really need to step off your pretentious social-awareness soap box.
@ React, while i do agree with ur definition of "slaves", u do know its possible to use the word in different contexts in such ways that it does not depict the exact definition u stated.
Just like people can be "slaves" to crack - meaning they are addicted beyond their control, or slaves to fashion fads...
one word, so many contextual meanings.
So, i wanna believe that ur elaborate definition is not the meaning Reckless was referring to.
And @ Bush Legacy. Don't get it twisted, i'm not sure where u got ur facts from, but Bush is not a god-like figure in Africa. Clinton carried way more clout and influence in Africa than Bush ever will even then, he wasn't god. Maybe in one part of Africa or a certain people in the continent, but not Africa as a whole. No doubt, he put forth commendable effort to help those stricken, and i won't take away his due credit by saying its just one of those things he did to fulfill all righteousness. There are other good deeds him and his wife can be given credit for, but not the god-like comparison u speak off. I know this cos i was born and raised for the most part of my life in Africa and i still got strong ties and connects in the motherland
@ I-Tep
You wrote: [@ React, while i do agree with ur definition of "slaves", u do know its possible to use the word in different contexts in such ways that it does not depict the exact definition u stated. Just like people can be "slaves" to crack - meaning they are addicted beyond their control, or slaves to fashion fads...]
Yeah, that's the way to get yourself out of a hole - over-generalize the word so as to refer to anything... "That nigga is a slave to blogging..." Right, that's it.
Actually, hell no. The post was about MLK, Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, and how 146 years later Blacks were still segregated against and treated with cruelty and injustice. We're not talking about some vague metaphor - we're talking about this country's history of slavery and civil rights.
Then that fool adds - "Rappers are slaves," WTF???
You see, this whole back-tracking proves my point. People need to stay off that pretentious social-awareness sh*t. They're taking advantage of the situation just to make themselves look and sound intelligent and aware. NEGRO, IF RAPPERS ARE SLAVES THEN EVERY LAST ONE OF US WHO LISTENS TO HIP-HOP (aka "slave music") IS FUNDING AND ENCOURAGING SLAVERY! Is that where you wanna come from?
Matter of fact, let me help yo out. I'll tell you where that pretentious sh*t came from:
1) Reckless and the rest of the people who used to post on this blog are familiar with how many of us referred to CERTAIN rappers as "coons" for their willingness to PORTRAY THEMSELVES as unintelligent and base simpletons.
2) None of these artists are oppressed nor entrapped in a system that forces them to do hard labor or anything they're not willingly doing. [I've never heard of slaves that made millions of dollars touring and had adoring fans who wanted to follow in their footsteps!]
3) To the contrary, what you want to say is that the music industry exploits negative images of the Black man. HOW CAN THEY DO THAT? Because ignorant Black people love it and perpetuate it by supporting it and following suit.
4) What you want to say is that most artists get raw deals where the company makes off with a huge percentage of the profits instead of the artist. But guess what? THAT'S BUSINESS! That's called signing a contract! And this is the case with artists of every color, and it's the case with virtually all forms of contract-based employment. Next, you're gonna call computer-programmers "slaves" because their agencies keep 75% of the money they charge to the clients.
Bottom-line: Reckless and idiots like him need to ease up with their far-fetched statements - just trynna "sound" intelligent.
Black ignorance is ugly.
I am crossing my fingers and hoping that since we've now seen the impossible (aka, a Black president in USA who is actually adored by 75% of the people) - Black people would finally change their point of view of the world around us. Meaning, we would collectively stop passing the blame on others and start using the opportunities that our ancestors fought so hard to create for us.
Back in the day, Blacks were denied education, employment, and ownership opportunities. That has since changed... a long time ago at that.
Yet here we are still making excuses for ourselves.
Hip-hop music is modern-day slavery??? Ridiculous!
In fact, it's unfortunate that hope what many Blacks have of making something of their life is music and sports - which is absolutely pathetic. But then you wanna bite the hand that feeds you and call it a form of oppression.
If anything, artists are squandering their opportunities. They're perpetuating negativity (nobody has a gun to their heads as to what they should rap about in their songs). And they're mismanaging the money they do have. For all their millions, they end up broke and owing taxes within months.