RISE! YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU WILL.

That headline was borrowed by a famous black man named Marcus Garvey. He was killed, like many other great black men, for standing up for what he believed was his life's calling. He wanted black people to be liberated - mind, body and soul. He called for a mass exodus to Africa by all black Americans (something I'm sure the GOP would love), because he wanted us to know our true historic lineage and heritage. He was about strength and unity. And he is now immortal, because a large number of people continue to carry his legacy into the future, even though he is long gone to those of us who will see the sunlight today.

What about you? What the eff have you done today, besides hit the snooze button multiple times because you were overthrowed (like me) last night? Sure, yesterday was a holiday for working people, so we all deserved a quick break before the fall kicked in. Well, we are now in Autumn, and in the midst of foggy, rainy weather, political craziness and the last four months of the Bush presidency. Rejoice!! And get your lazy ass out of bed and back on that clock. Time is money...

Me? I'm in Birmingham, chilling with my folk-folks and working on the fulfillment of a major goal. As of today, I have officially broken my addiction to cigarrettes with one full month of no nicotine. After today, I will no longer count the days; I've always believed that if you really wanted to stop doing something, you don't count the days since you've last done it. You just say, "I've stopped," once you knew that to be true.

Life is great. I'm happy as hell for no apparent reason, and I've been resorting to my old bad habits, like exercising, reading and refraining from things that keep me from being productive. I welcome you to join me in this thing called "life" in Autumn 2008. History is in our hands, if only we'd awake from the dream of yesterday and commit to the reality of this new realm of possibility called Tuesday, September 2nd.

I'll check back in with you later this afternoon, say around 2pm. Until then, grasp life by the horns and rise with the tide. The hurricane-which-shall-not-be-named did not destroy our beloved New Orleans, and there is a magnificient momentum of which all citizens of this planet are invited to become involved.

So wake up and live. Do something with yourself, and continue to fight the powers that be. Get like me.




By the way, this is not just for black people. White people, you need to wake your asses up as well and join the movement. None of us can do it alone.

GOOD MORNING: YOU ARE NOW ALIVE

This is what happened last night. Contrary to what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace both said, before they were both assasinated, it was not all a dream. It happened.

As of today, Friday, August 29, 2008, the future is full of promise for those of us who believe in the natural right of all earth citizens to renew the spirit of God within us all. Once again, we can claim the royalty from whence we came. I do not watch the weather report, so I am uncertain whether or not the sun will shine where you awaken this morning, but it is certainly shining down in spirit upon the faces of those who see the dawn of a new day, even if it's through the rain of another Gulf Coast hurricane. And you can count me as one of those people.

We will not only survive the coming storm as a country, we will weather it and rebuild that which has been torn asunder, smashed against the rocks of racism and flooded with fear and loathing. Just as we have before, we shall again. We will conquer that which threatens our livelyhood and build a better tomorrow with the foundation that we have in this very day.

On this day, the Friday before Labor Day, which leads into the month I was born, I am happy, grateful and excited to be a living, breathing human being. And I cherish the fact that some great entity that created this whole idea called "life" actually thought enough of me to place oxygen in my battered lungs once again, along with the vision in my eyes, hunger in my brain and encouragement in my soul. I believe that this is the day that things will undoubtedly become irreversable on the path to a positive existence. And I am ready for the challenge of today, tomorrow and beyond.




I am awake. Now wake your punk ass up too and join the rest of the living; we've got work to do.

DEAD PREZ SAYS "WAKE THE EFF UP"

What better way to get your Wednesday morning started than with some of that good revolutionary Hip-Hop music as the soundtrack to your daily survival? I can think of none at the moment.

This song, "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop", by dead prez, has been on heavy rotation in my mental radio station recently, and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's because good Hip-Hop music is on life-support. Maybe the reason why I'm posting an old video by Dead Prez is because my own blog is dead and I have nothing better to do. Or maybe - just maybe - true Hip-Hop music never dies, because true Hip-Hop music finds ways to speak the immortal truth about life and the everlasting, never-ending struggle for peace, love and progress.





The truth is that the fight is far from finished, and songs like the one above are perfect melodies to wake your tired ass up from the clutches of death's cousin. Whether you're still slumbering through the morning, currently in a corporate cubicle cage or trying to settle into your own solitary confinement of creativity, it's time to get on your grind.

The game of life does not don't wait. And life is bigger than Hip-Hop. And Hip-Hop is bigger than religion, "my nigga" and the government. Didn't we go over this yesterday morning?


"Better drink a Red Bull;
You can't sleep on life..."
Young Jeezy - "I Luv It"

WAKING UP THE DEAD: THE TUESDAY MORNING ALARM CLOCK

To you, this post might have nothing to do with anything, but to me, it has something to do with everything going on in the world right now. You see, the most recent album by your favorite rapper is ony going to last 3-6 months. The flyest video you're going to see in the next week or so will only last until the beginning of winter, and that's if it's really good. That's a short lifespan, and it's only getting worse with more and more people calling themselves rappers and less shelf space available for old rap records. But classic Hip-Hop is immortal. Believe that.


R.I.P. Scott La Rock (Boogie Down Productions)


The problem is that our culture has been hijacked by hermaphrodites and hookers of harmony who don't care what type of music they make, as long as that music makes money and provides for another fiscal year of trickery and financial fuckery. This is probably where "making it rain" comes in, leaving the lower class feeling left out of the loop, wishing for a watershed moment when the odds are even and the ears and eyes of executives are open and exposed. Everyone wants his or her own time to shine, even if it is restricted to fifteen minutes; it's hard not to be a critic when you're riding in a Civic. Best thing to do is stop talking it and live it.'


"This one is for Dilla"... R.I.P. Jay Dee



Like Erykah said on "The Healer," our culture is bigger than religion, "my nigga" and the government. I would add that it should be bigger than money, but that remains to be seen. There are, however, some things that will always be bigger than Hip-Hop, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness freedom.


Quiet as it's kept, Hip-Hop is even bigger than death. Some of our most beloved heroes have found everlasting life through their musical legacies. Word to Big Pun and Buffy of The Fat Boys, who were both big as hell but aren't here to see the new morning with us, like J. Dilla and Scott La Rock.







We're at the dawn of a new day, and all it takes is a majority of believers to overwhelm the minority of haters. But we can't get there if you sleep through your damned alarm clock. So climb your tired ass out of bed and join the movement of the living - those of us who care more about contributing than collecting, ones that are more interested in legacies than liquid assets.