Zora Neal Hurston Had a Fight with Urban Fiction and Lost.

Hood Lit 101.
We have all seen them.
"Around the Way Girl 2."

"Homo Thug."

"Let That Be the Reason".
Its Hood Lit. Urban Fiction. Hip Hop Fiction.
You see folks reading them on the train. Ladies takin' they slow @ss time going up the stairs at 14th street because they are engrossed in chapter 5.

I have seen teenage girls, sharing a SINGLE book between the two of them, one flap on each of their laps, on the train ride to school.

Mean Sexy says people love 'em because of the marketing.

Which is partially true.

The cover images certainly do provoke a reaction.

I think it that it is the marketing and the accesibility of the language.
Kids like racy, sexual, street based fiction.
On top of that, kids have allways wanted to read and do sh*t that there parents did not approve of.

Urban fiction is racy and allows for teens to be quasi defiant.

When it comes to Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Be True to the Game, I don't think we have to choose.

There is room for Urban Fiction and the Black Cannon. For Nikki Turner and Walter Dean Myers.

A View From Inside the Publishing Industry
The hood writers and the black cannon need to come together to see what they can learn from one another.


Malaika Adero, and editor at Atria says that the canon needs to up their grizzle,

But literary writers often invest less of their time and resources in learning how to promote their work, expand on and respond to the desires of their prospective readers, and associate themselves with all kinds of other writers and artists—not just the ones who teach at the right universities and have the enviable contracts with major houses. Commercial writers model for the artsy set new ways to cultivate and expand their audience, and fashion themselves into better business people.

She says that the urban writers need to get them writing workshops going,

On the other hand, so many of the commercially successful authors—once self- or small-published—are amateur writers, albeit with great storytelling and entrepreneurial instincts, and tremendous drive. They could learn from the example of their colleagues who study with and expose themselves to the criticism of their peers and academics; who discipline and challenge themselves to be more creative, rigorous and ambitious in the practice of their craft.

How I Feel About Hood Lit
As for my own personal taste.

I can't get into most of them. And trust me I try. Not because the stories are bad. The writing bother's me.

Most of the folks writing the books have great imaginations and can weave a good story.

But the language is like walking barefoot on broken glass, in Howard Beach at night, in the middle of July. All bad.

Many of the writers need a writing workshop. Period. Point. Stop.

Peep what Nick Chiles had to say,

That leaves me wondering where we - writers, publishers, readers, the black community - go from here. Is street fiction some passing fad, or does it represent our future? It's depressing that this noble profession, one that I aspired to as a child from the moment I first cracked open James Baldwin and Gabriel García Márquez about 30 years ago, has been reduced by the greed of the publishing industry and the ways of the American marketplace to a tasteless collection of pornography.

Earth to NICK. The same thing that happened in Hip Hop is happening in literature. Why?

Because Random house, Simon and Schuster, like Universal and Island Def Jam are obligated to please their SHAREHOLDERS not Black Readers.

Hate the game, hate the game.

Reading is Fundamental Fam
However, it is important to note that Black people are reading these books by the truck loads because they find them appealing.

I ain't mad at that.

Reading is reading is reading.

I hope that the books play a role in inspiring an entire generation of readers and writers of all genres.

Authors are Getting Money
In researching this article I came across this.

While she allready a publish writer, she freaked a pseudonym, to get that urban lit cash.


Muy interesante.

I remember seeing that book cover earlier last year and thinking that I liked it.
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Jeff, I know you don't want to hear it, but our Beloved Cody's books on Telegraph
could have stayed open had it done two things:

a. Expanded its offerings on childrens books.

b. Offered more Hood books.

These two areas are explosive.

Think "Harry Potter". Think "Lord of the Rings. Think, "True to the Game". Think. "Diary of a Diva".

Kids would have been up in that piece.

Yes. They may have needed to hire a security guard, to keep the ruckus down,
but that is just the cost of doing business.

Just like the blaxpoitation era in the 70's saved Hollywood from bankruptcy, urban books are providing some well needed revenue to the publishing world.

White Folks Writin' Urban Lit

Even the majority is getting some of that Urban lit Cash.

Peep.
I was on this site, looking for an image of one more book to add to this post. When I came across her.

She.

Wrote this.

Her profile qualifies as the racist item of the day.

Peep.

Biography

Allison van Diepen is a high school teacher who is often mistaken for a student. She spent three and a half years teaching at one of Brooklyn's most dangerous public high schools.This is her first novel.

Its mad racist sh*t up in those three sentences.
a. Allison van Diepen is a high school teacher who is often mistaken for a student.

i. Read- she is young, impressionable and vulnerable in her Brooklyn Jungle of a high school.

b.She spent three and a half years teaching at one of Brooklyn's most dangerous public high schools.

i. Perpetuating hella stereotypes. Brookyln = Automatically Dangerous, right.

ii. Translation. She has spent 3.5 years observing niggerdom upclose and personal which qualifies her to write a book for teenagers about a teenage drug dealer. Excellent.

ii. Which I presume lends credibility to her novel. That statement is careless, irresonsible and self-serving.

iii. Even if the statment is true, the purpose of it being there is to give her credibility that she innately does not have.

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Dang. That was a long post. Where erry body @?
*Miss Ahmad. I think you in Hawaii on vacay!?!?!
* J!?!!?!?!!? You moved back and lost yo innanet service?
* Vik. Well vik, you post more than me, so you stay busy.
* Ms. TPW. I got a hunch you in NYC right now.
*sticks out tongue. Runs out room*

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Sometimes I post and I don't know what to call it so I ramble because rambling is cathartic.

I went to go see this flower at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on Saturday.

Its was on a fluke but I am glad I did. That sh*t is straight up and down little shop of horrors.

My homie dekka made fun and said, you prolly was the only brown girl there.

I wasn't. There was some carribean folks there to. A man and his momma were taking pictures with the flower.

But he did have a point.

I've allways been weird though:)

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My dad scared the sh*t outta me yesterday.

I was getting some advice from him regarding whether or not I should bring an issue up to BL regarding his family and their dynamics.
Poppi said, "M dot, people don't like you looking all up in their soul".

Me- "Whacu mean?"

P- Well. When you start questioning a person and who they are, you are looking all up in their soul. M- Word!?!?!
P- Yes. You have to be careful. Its a gift. Very few people can do it, and even fewer are willing to share what they see with the person. M- Wow. I never thought of it like that. P- Its a powerful thing. Be careful.


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Reading this blog, was the first time I read something written by a dude in the bay and felt like, they were my innernet cousins.

However, Then the more I read. The more trouble I felt.

Because of their loose usage of n*gga as well as the over all content, I needed to know whether they were black or a "tropical people". I was having a Dave Chappell moment. I think. God, I am getting old:( Some of the post titles are:

• Wine country got a n*gga finna kill someone for innanet!

• What You Know Bout Programming Motherfucking Remotes.

• PS3 Controller: A Niggatorial

Granted they sh*t is funny. Naw. That doesn't even do them justices.

I got tears in my eyes. For trill.

I couldn't tell if they were just being funny. Or making fun of n*ggas. Anyhoo, I resolved to deal with ambiguity and enjoy it as a guilty pl easure.

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So this is the point in the matrix that we have been waiting to get to.

TESTING DRUGS ON PRISONERS.

Excellent, big Pharm+ Government Cooperation + Tuskegee Syphilis experiment = All Bad for Negroes.

For Leodus Jones, a former prisoner, the report has opened old wounds. “This moves us back in a very bad direction,” said Mr. Jones,

who participated in the experiments at Holmesburg in 1966 and after his release played a pivotal role in lobbying to get the regulations passed.

In one experiment, Mr. Jones’s skin changed color, and he developed rashes on his back and legs where he said lotions had been tested.

“The doctors told me at the time that something was seriously wrong,” said Mr. Jones, who added that he had never signed a consent form. He reached a $40,000 settlement in 1986 with the City of Philadelphia after he sued.

“I never had these rashes before,” he said, “but I’ve had them ever since.”

The Institute of Medicine report was initiated in 2004 when the Health and Human Services Department asked the institute to look into the issue. The report said prisoners should be allowed to take part in federally financed clinical trials so long as the trials were in the later and less dangerous phase of Food and Drug Administration approval. It also recommended that at least half the subjects in such trials be nonprisoners, making it more difficult to test products that might scare off volunteers.

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Clarett Update.

They had him in the Times this weekend.

• Apparently, he had most of his worldly posessions in his car with him that night.

• He may be under stress because of money he borrowed from cats when he thought he was gonna make it on the Bronco's.
• His daughter was born, premature on July 17th, 2006.
  

• He e-mailed a writer from ESPN, two hours before he was arrested. Here is the account:

• About two hours before he was arrested early Wednesday, Clarett phoned Tom Friend, a senior writer for ESPN the Magazine who has written extensively about Clarett. Hoague, the lawyer, was also patched into the call, and described Clarett as saying, “I’m getting my life together,” that the birth of his daughter had humbled him and that she “means everything to me.”

Yet Clarett also seemed melancholy and “possibly drunk,” Friend wrote on ESPN.com. Clarett said he would do anything for his daughter, even that “he’d go to jail for 30 years for this little girl.”

Wistfully, Clarett said of his life, “I have done nothing but run a football.” And: “I’m a young man going through stress. I’m a person who was scheduled to make millions and didn’t make them.”

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That was certainly a mixed bag post. Summer '06 is a wrap fam. I know you enjoyed it. If this weather keeps up, I may just stay happy forever. Oh. I am working on a fashion blog. I got a concept. But I can't decide on a name. It's so annoying:( _______________________
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@ss kissing 101

A little @ss kissing is healthly, right?!?!!?!

Well. I am blowing the kisses because I need some help.

If there any techies reading this, I need your help. My pings on technorati are not working. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
~m.
readingiswhite@yahoo.com

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Oh. I have been nominated for a Black Blog Award. Show love for the homie and vote for me here. I promise you instant karma:)

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This was by far the best weather I have seen this summer.
Why does haagen daz cost $2.50/bar?

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Call a Spade a Spade. The Descent of Maurice Clarett.

I have been following Maurice Claretts situation for a hot minute.

He was arrested earlier this week with hella guns. In a car. Wearing a bp vest. Ouch!

Clarett's recent arrest reminds me of the greater issue of how institution's decide how and to what extent they will invest in their members.

His situation reminds me of the fact that Model Minorities HAVE to constantly be aware of the fact that being talented/athletic/brilliant is not enough. They also have to:

• Have a way of managing stress, anger and depression.
  
• Learn how to manage relationships with the institutions that they are a member of.
• Learn how manage relationships with people whose salaries depend on their success.

I personally experienced the wrath of tangling with an institution this year. Trust. It's war.

Now Clarett clearly had a troubled life from jump street, Did anyone intervene? What resources were available to him? On its face, it appears as if Clarett is clearly on the DMX action plan.

However, I think there are some other issues operating here.

Clarett's situation reflects not only his poor decisions, but also the fact that institutions will only invest in an individual, in the short term, if they are guarenteed, a HUGE return on investment.

If Not. Tough sh*t.

In The Post, Michael Sabon says,

Perhaps football might have saved Clarett at one point. Even as someone who was not in favor of the NFL changing its rules to allow Clarett in early, I sit at the keyboard now wondering what might have become of Clarett had he spent the last three years within the structure of a football team, which is probably the only structure he had ever known -- certainly the only one he ever appreciated. It's impossible to not wonder what might have happened had Clarett been good enough to stick with the Denver Broncos, who brought him to camp last summer.

Don't ever be desperate. Black. And an aspiring Ball player.


Nothing but poor decisions will come of this.
Desperation compromises ones ability to consider the long term effect of their current actions.
Peep.

Problem was, Clarett played the wrong sport for that kind of individual cash-in. The NBA sells its stars; the NFL sells its teams. Clarett wasn't sophisticated enough to see the difference. He wanted what he felt was coming to him, so he left Ohio State. He listened to the fools who told him it was his birthright to play in the NFL, even though labor laws and smart labor lawyers knew otherwise. Instead of getting tens of thousands of dollars up front to sign with the Broncos, which at least would have given him a little financial cushion (which more than 99 percent of kids coming out of college get), some knucklehead negotiated a back-loaded deal that presumed Clarett would make the team, which he didn't.

Clarett is troubled. He has clearly impolded. Every institution he interacted with is contributorily neglegent.

I hold Clarett accountable.

I hold Ohio State and the Broncos accountable too.

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Yall think im wrong. Narrow minded. Cynical. Naive.
Prolly a little bit of all of them. The bottom line is that what went down with this cat is symbolic and it is worthy of being analyzed.

I can hear crickets in this daggone blog. I guess erry body on vacy 'cept for me.
Thats cool. Imma go to see the penguins tomorrow. So, that kinda, makes it a mini vacay. Right!?!?!?!!?

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Hip Hop Culture is NOT Youth Culture.

DMX do be putting his heart and soul into his performances. I have long felt that X is one of the dudes I could pretty much take to any hood and feel comfortable. He rocks like that. Kalefa from the Times says,

X has built a hugely successful career (all five of his albums have made their debut at No. 1) by highlighting the kind of turmoil that rappers more often hide. Even more than Eminem (who balances his paranoia with a mischievous sense of humor) or Tupac Shakur (who balanced his laments with smooth, swaggering boasts), DMX makes it impossible for listeners to ignore his suffering and desperation.

X has been charged with possession of crack cocaine pipes and, on another occasion, cocaine. (Plenty of rappers brag about selling it, but smoking it remains absolutely taboo.) He has also been charged with animal cruelty, reckless driving and, strangest of all, impersonating a federal agent

I will co-sign on the fact that X is transparent with his emotions in a ride or die way that is severly endearing.
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A couple weeks ago, in the Sunday Times,
Benjamin Bridwell, of the "Band of Horses", had an insightful review of Ghostface.
He says,

I am a big fan of all the Wu Tang stuff, so I was anticipating “Fishscale” (Def Jam) for a while. I bought it the first day, and we’ve been listening to it constantly for the past month. The guy is just murdering the game, in the lingo. The whole album is so hungry, it has some of the best hooks on it. The lyrics are out of control and hilarious. “Be Easy” is an awesome song: it’s all about New York. There’s also the song “Kilo” featuring Raekwon, which has great female backing; the lyrics just grab you. I can’t quote the lyrics because it’s a family paper, but on the sixth song he comes out and he says, “Ya’ll be nice to the crackheads.” You really should be nice to the crackheads, they’re struggling.

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Davey D makes some very important points in his article that ask's whether hip hops main audience is white.
He points out that:

• The statistic started in 1991 when Newsweek Magazine did a cover story on Gangsta Rap and in their article they put out an un-researched statistic that said 80% of Hip Hop's audience is white and that its reflected in record sales.

• "Granted if one goes to a Mos Def show or even a Wu-Tang concert you will see a majority white audience in many cities, but does that translate to that 80% white [hip hop] audience?

• The article is informative in that it offers a chronology of how, when and where Hip Hop was played on the radio.

• Radio remains segregated, but not nearly was much as it was in the past. Davey points out how Top 20 rock/pop stations started playin Hip Hop. As a result they retained the amenities of being top 20, w/o having the stigma of being a nigga station.
  

What difference does it make if hip hops major audience is White or Latino or Black?

Historically, a variety of ethnicities have enjoyed Black Music. White folks rocked with Motown. Japanese folks lovingly patronized 1950's jazz and currently shows mad love to underground AND mainstream hip hop acts.

Hip Hops audience is not the major problem.
The major problem is that Black Culture is Equivicated with Hip Hop Culture. Which is dead wrong.

A people are NOT DEFINED by a music.

Music can be influential.
Music can play a major role in our lives.

Music can motivate you.

But to equivicate a genre of music with the definition of a people. Not cool fam.

We are more than Hip Hop.
That, by and large is the Problem that Bill and O has with Hip hop.
Where is the self awarness?

Where is the hood accountability?

Why inna f*ck ain't Damon Dash invested in real estate IN MARCY. IN Harlem. In Bushwick?
Why aren't their 15 Magic Johnson's? Its a war out here fam, and trust, between Ratner and Columbia, n*ggas gon' be in Philly, Maine.

That is For True.

And Trust fam. This housing/education/work situation is Huge. It makes me wanna say that THE situation is bigger than hip hop. What I will say is that Hip Hop's potential is amazing. Our current situation is BIGGER than Hip Hops current status. I think that is a a more accurate statement.

It is fatal to base ones culture on a movement that is driven by youth. Young people that that are largely hyper-undereducated and are so influenced by the dominant cultures message that they yet spend, spend, spend. They buy Akademics this and BAPE that 'till the cows come home. Hyper consumers and producers of little.

I am not turning on HH. HH was there for me when my family wasn't. What I am saying is that complex situation, requires a multilayered analysis.

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Wow. That was a late summer rant.

On to more , ahem, lighter topics.
So Gravy really did get shot, AND STILL GO UP to Hot 97. Peep this expose from the New Yorker Magazine by Ben McGrath.

For moral support, Gravy had assembled a sizable entourage—three or four dozen men—and outfitted them with extra-large blue T-shirts that read “Gravy” on the front and, on the back, “Brooklyn ‘Get Up,’ ” a reference to the first single from his forthcoming album. Punctuality is unusual in the rap world, but Gravy and his crew arrived early for his session, and when he presented himself at the Hot 97 studio, on Hudson Street in the West Village, at a quarter to seven, Flex sent him away and told him not to return until ten. Gravy went around the corner to get something to eat.

A couple of hours passed. “Then, after I got a sandwich and came out of the store—da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da! ” Gravy told me later, mimicking the sound of gunfire. “The only thing I remember is falling, and knowing that I’m shot—just don’t know where. It’s not like, when you get shot, ‘Oh, I got shot here.’ Nah. You know you hit, so your mind frame is—you pumped, your adrenaline is going. I reach my hand over, and I see I’m bleeding. I didn’t see the hole. I can’t see behind my ass.”

Gravy is an enormous man—well over six feet, and more than three hundred pounds—with a caboose to match. The bullet, it turned out, had struck him in his left buttock. “Straight clean shot— through the ass, through the thigh,” he said, gently rubbing the front of his pants leg.

I nominate Gravey for the Gully MC of 2006 award.
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That was a big 'ol August Hip Hop post.
Isn' this weather lovely?

I "found" that Mary song, Sincerity, I have been on the hunt for it for a hot minute.

All I knew was the beat. But. Sh*t. Sometimes that is all you need.

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M-dot_ Laser Shots_News +Tidbits

>>>>>>LASERSHOTS<<<<<<<

news + tidbits

• Is it legal for his @ss to move like this?

• You might wanna invest in a scooter.

• Fired via text message. That's hella scandless.

• Kevin Powell Quit his run for seat in the 10th Congressional District. Peep the article from the Amsterdam news.

Powell admits,that when he began to focus "all of my attention on this Congressional race, it quickly became very clear to me that I simply did not have the time and energy needed to put together a machine-like infrastructure, nor to tap into the massive national network I've developed over two decades in the worlds of politics, entertainment, finance, the arts, hip hop America, and elsewhere."

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It was fun putting those together. Wacha'll think?

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I got 'cho back, You Best Getcha Front!

I have one of those brains that will think about something. Plan on doing it. Get distracted, file it away. Search for it again when I have more time.

For example a few months ago I remembered seeing someone use Amazon wish lists are used to fetter out “subversives”.

Peep how Lars Toomre explains how works. He says,

While subconsciously I had been aware of how much personal data is freely distributed as we go about our daily lives, this post was an eye-opener for how “an individual with access to the internet can still develop a fairly sophisticated profile of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens using free and publicly available resources.” The author, Tom Owad, then develops an example of how possible subversives can be identified using public baby names data, key phrases and books titles/subjects, the Amazon book wish list functionality, and the free Google Maps API. This example is truly impressive just for what Tom created as a demonstration.

Tonight, I found myself blogging and editing my book list so I decided to search the amazon list.

I cannot BELIVE WHAT I FOUND.

This dude searched and downloaded 15 thousand amazon wish lists.

He choose some right leaning books, some left leaning, and the bible.

He then:

-Sorted 10 of them using their ip addresses.

-Located their lat/alt coordinates.

-Then he yahoo mapped him.

The process is called datamining. Which is fitting.

I felt intrusive reading it.

One day you could be reading Orwell, next day you could wind up in Guantanamo.

But the truth is that all this info out and available to the public

Why didn’t I become an computer engineer again?

p.s.
In looking for a photo on spy's I came across. This. This company, which shall remain nameless because I want to keep my blog, is really protective about their brand. I can't believe these photos are up. Privacy is Officially deaded.

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See yall didn't know m.dot could flip it on the techology side. That must be the silicon valley in me coming out, har har har.

This weekend was so dope. BL's family had a jump off at Bear Mountain, which is about 1 hour from NYC. Then he ran me around like a slave at Ikea and BJ's.

Long live the weekend warriors right. Oh. Please believe, renting a Ford Exlplorer rental for the weekend, is THAT SH-t. Who KNEW cars/suv's could be that much fun!?!?!?!

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10 Ways Crack Changed the Hood.

In honor of OhWords crack week, I have decided to contribute 10 ways Crack Changed the Hood.

10 Ways Crack Changed the Hood.

1. Aiesha's, from next doors, cute brother, went from being a scrawny 8th grader with a crooked smile to an aspiring d-boy who was ready willing and able to pop a fool for grinding on his turf.

2. There was an explosion of Crack Zombies in the Hood. In every neighborhood, there were allways your garden variety of wino's, crazy ladies, and bad boys that steal cars. But crack changed the game so dramatically, because of the explosion of Crack Zombies.

3. Crack made funeral homes in Detroit, Oakland, LA, New Orleans, Philly, D.C. hundred thousandares.

4. Crack made getting a decent education in a public school in a major city impossible. For instance, if the teacher is spending 6 percent of her time, discipling children born addicted to crack, or children wilding out because their families wild out at home because some one is smoking crack, then it is going to be hard for a teacher to convey his 5th grade lesson plan.

5. Crack gave rappers something to talk about. What would Jay-Z, 50, Mobb Depp, NAS, Snoop, E-40, Scarface or TI talk about if it wasn't for crack?

6. Crack contributed to sneakermania. Who other than D-Boys could afford $150 Jordans in '91.

7. Crack meant a whole new Genre of flicks. Boyz in the Hood. Menance to Society. Sugar Hill. Colors. Straight Outta Brooklyn. The list goes on and on.

8. Crack ensured that the New York Cities real esate industry would remained depressed until Guilani jumped off his quality of life initiative.

9. Crack is responsible for the comfortable middle class lifestyle that many police officers enjoy. In NYC you start at 35k. But, if you put in work, and manage not to get murked, then you can earn upwards of $80k. Think about it. If you have murder murder murder, kill kill kill, po po has to patrol extra. If they patrolling around the clock or on some crazy 20 hour shifts, the financial result can make a $60K/year job into a $95K/year job.

10. Crack meant the task force. They were super police. Those black jackets and the yellow writing. They were not to be f-cked with.

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Did I miss anything blog fam? If so, lemme know?
I think I am going to do 10 crack related books next.
The heat wave is over tomorrow. Thank my angels:)

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M.Dot does Sex (ual_ Politics)

Nothing like vintage Pam Grier to set off a post about sexual politics.


I was just thinking that for a blog about hip hop real estate and sex, I sure am skimpy on the latter. Consider this post an effort to address that wrong.

Last months article in Essence magazine about women that date their pastors stood out to me. I have allways been interested in how the relationship women have, or don't have, with their fathers, affects how they select men to date.

The article pointed out why a woman is interested in dating her pastor. It said that the church is,

"... the one place in this country where the often demonized and disillusioned Black man can still reign supreme. Add to that the fact that the leader who occupies the Big Chair is usually charismatic, articulate, charming and emotive, and you have a presence that�s near-irresistible. For some sisters, the pastor is nothing short of a messenger sent by God to deliver the heavenly hope and healing that too often elude us in our earthly existence."

"It's not unusual for women to become attracted to a pastor who is counseling them simply because they are receiving validation from him,� he observes. That attention is something they wish they were getting from their husbands or the men in their lives�"

I wager that something bigger is going on here. Women and men for that matter like the rush of going after something that they, perceivably cannot have.

• The Bad Boy. Can't have him, his first love is his baby momma or the streets or both.

• The Married Cat. Can't have him. He's married.

• The Nice Guy. Can't have him. He's too nice. And we all know that if he is nice, then there is something wrong with him.

In NYC, I have witnessed an interesting phenomenom. A woman will date your man. Not in the conventional sense, but in the soft sense.

For example, BBC was messing with this woman, "mean witch", who openly referred to her male friend as "work husband", I kid you not. Now a grown @ssed woman should NOT be referring to ANOTHER WOMANS HUSBAND as her "work husband". It's tacky, disrespectful and not very pro woman. Here is a woman, dating BBC, and talking about her "work husband". Clearly they did not work out. But what part of the game is a work husband? You know we travel in language here.

Calling A MAN your work husband is pretty loaded language. Women will date him, right under your nose. For instance,

• They will invite your man to their work christmas party.
• They will try and go on vacation with your man b/c he is her "best friend".
• They will try and have long assed conversations with him when the three of you are out.
• They will never bring around their s.o's or potential s.o's out of a desire to never have the shoe on the other foot.
• They will not necessarily be attracted to, or want your s.o., but they will enjoy the attention that HE gives her. That becomes a slippery slope because you don't want your s.o. looking are your homie side ways.
  

Now granted yall, I am possessive. But I am also reasonable. Depending on the dynamic between my s.o. and another woman, I ain't gon' trip. We all grown. But let me feel like she ain't respecting. Please believe it. Because the dynamic between said woman and my s.o. will be rendered null and void and the behavior will be addressed with the quickness. I have learned the hardway about keeping quiet about 'ish.

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Apparently the porn industry is mad segregated. Women are encouraged to and it is considered permissable, to be freaky, wild for the night, to rock with men, to rock with women, and pretty much anyone else inbetween.

However, when a DUDE, does the same thing, he gets boycotted by certain folks in the porn industry.

Here is the article from the Village Voice.
Below I have pasted and excerpt,

When women f-ck men and women, or do gang bangs, bukkakes, and other "non-traditional" acts on film, they're usually applauded as super-sluts. They are encouraged to push their limits, do freaky things, indulge their wild child. But men are held to a different standard. There are no such rewards for fucking outside the box.

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The double standard lives. Who knew that I would pick the hottest day of the summer to sit down and espouse sexual politics. Perhaps it IS the weather. How are you all keeping cool. I just walk really slow. I drink lots of Vitamin Water, and I continue to eat tacos.

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Thank you.

I knew I wanted to write.
More importantly, I knew I wanted to write about women and hip hop and men, and sex, and primo beats, and mobb deep and 40 slang and ebonics.

A year later, I say thank you to you all.

Thank you to danyel, jase, james, for telling me to just pick a title and write.

Thank you to Santood for letting me steal the title from one of our many margarita laden conversations.

Thank you to gotty, hashim, big walt, rafi &dp and eskay for blogging and for the big ups and inspiration 'yall have given this year.

Thank you to all the regular readers ms. tpw, j, chidi, duane & ms. ahmad. When I write I know yall be peepin' and there is very few things in this word like reciprocity.
Peace to Mac J.
Can't wait to see you back fam!

We just gotta rock the archives for a hot minute.

Thank you to the lurkers. I know 'yall be trollin'. Its okay to make yourself know. We don't bite here at mm. At least not initially:)

1 year and 150 post down.
150 more to go:)

Coney Island is Trill!

I went to Coney Island on Monday July 3rd . It was deep. I never saw so many, Eastern Europeans, Brazilian soccer dudes, Puerto Rican homies and Deep Brooklyn Jewish cats in the same place at the same time in my life.

Coney Island is a Grand experiment in Democracy. Real Talk.

On the way to the train, I was rocking my Stop Shooting T-shirt (gett'em at Oh Word.com) I got the most interesting looks from po-po, left leaning white liberals, gully brooklyn thugs and old grandmommas. Some people, smirked, others smiled. It was really interesting to observe how people react to the message on my shirt.

In terms of the train ride. First. I got on the B. Then I got on the D. Blog family, the D is express in Manhattan, but local in BK. The train stopped on every stop. I finally gets there and it was cool. Laid out the blanket and what not. Reading my scandless summer sizzler by Donna Hill. Oh, there were mad mexicanos selling them, coronas, umbrellas and budweisers and mangoes on a stick with cayanne pepper. Them sh*ts look gully. I couldn't believe that the police let them rock like that. But I guess they were down by the water, and po po can't be every where at the same time. I swear, blog family, there were three couples, that were puerto rican, and they set up a DOMINO TABLE AT THE BEACH. THAT was so hood. I Loved it!

So I am there backing for a couple of hours, and this little rug rat came over with his parent. This dude, threw sand on me. I kid you not. Now yall know I got anger issues. I DO NOT NEED some bad @ss 2 year old throwing sand on me. His momma let me do it. His dad apologized. So now I got my eye on his lil' a$. These dude turned around and did it agin. Thats it. Sand in the hair, can of whup @$ gets opened!


I told the momma, "You better get your son!" For real! Soon after they took him down the beach to terrorize someone else. After I left the beach, I wound up in Prospect Heights at my girl T's house. We sat in frente de her building, drinking some beverages y mas watermelon right on St. John's off Washington. Somebody opened their car door and started playing Biggie Hella loud, and I thought to myself, this is So Brooklyn. Wow. That was a lot of typing for one sitting. Its july, and I intend on enjoying every weekend of it.
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Can it be a stayed away too long.....?

Dear blog readers. I am here. I am working on posts and life is Crazy like a July summer should be.
Here are some tidbits I have come across and the last few.
Let me know what 'chall thaink?


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N*gga trippin off Jay Z Cristal comments. Well a writer from the Washington Post tells Jay to take it easy. GTFOHWBS.

Luxury brands -- and mid-priced ones, as well -- have had a variety of responses to hip-hop's embrace. Timberland was famously not thrilled with the popularity of its boots among rappers and their fans. Other brands, such as Prada, have simply kept silent about their prominence in rap songs. Other companies have been proactive in choosing the performers with whom they'll form close relationships. In 1996, Louis Vuitton featured Grandmaster Flash in one of its advertisements. Just recently, Pharrell Williams collaborated on a line of Louis Vuitton sunglasses and created the soundtrack for one of its runway shows. Giorgio Armani hosted 50 Cent at a recent ready-to-wear show. Dolce & Gabbana outfitted Mary J. Blige for a concert tour. And brands from Gucci to Chanel have been inspired by hip-hop performers.

Whats wrong? Black man cain't use his voice to speak out on what he believes right. Prolly thinks Jay should shut up and sell raps.

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Hold Up. So this dude is in Thailand, selling boot leg Deisel jeans to pay for Sex. Talk about a new jack hustle.

Aaron's is the basic business model for all e-bootleggers. Each week, he visits the Mah Boon Krong mall, known as MBK -- one of Bangkok's most popular shopping centers, complete with multiplex and bowling alley. In his favorite store on the sixth floor, the jeans, shirts and accessories are stacked 8 feet high. Styles are current, stitches are tight and the counterfeit labels will pass casual inspection.

After some tough negotiating, one pair of "Diesels" costs 550 baht, or about $14.30; it will sell for between $45 and $100, plus shipping. Without breaking a sweat, Aaron can run 20 auctions per week and clear upward of $1,000. In 2005, one of his more ambitious friends pulled in an estimated $100,000 -- tax-free, risk-free.

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Ex-Bush Aide Fatally Shoots Son, Himself
Gunfire at McLean Home Followed Fight With Wife
Dude is Black. Deep right?!?!?!

A former Bush administration official, after arguing violently with his wife Thursday night, shot and killed his 12-year-old son inside their McLean home, then turned a shotgun on himself and committed suicide, Fairfax County police said.

William H. Lash III, 45, was an assistant secretary of commerce from 2001 until last year, then returned to teach at George Mason University Law School in Arlington, where he had begun as a professor in 1994. His wife, Sharon K. Zackula, fled the house before the shootings, and police said yesterday they were not sure what ignited the murder-suicide in a first-floor bedroom.

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They trynna take away our you tube happiness yall.

Spine mag .com swipey.

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M.C. Hammer's catalog got sold for 2.7 Million.

I put my soul on 2 inch reels that I don't even own.- Pharcyde

We anticipate that many songs in the MC Hammer catalog will emerge as a perfect fit for licensing in movies, television shows, and corporate advertising," Schulhof added.

MC Hammer filed for bankruptcy protection in 1996, with debts in excess of $14 million, despite raking in over $33 million in 1991.

Some of the rapper's assets included a luxurious mansion valued between $12 and $20 million dollars, 17 race cars, a Boeing 727, a Kentucky Derby race horse and a monthly payroll of over $500,000.

Evergreen also acquired producer/publisher Jerry Crutchfield's Crutchfield/Glitterfish catalog, which includes hits from Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, George Straight and others.

I wonder what Hammer would be doing today if he did not go bankrupt?
I wonder who could have prevented him from going bankrupt.
I wonder what he regrets.
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This article is like a two pac song. Beautiful and Heartbreaking and angry all at the same time.
The Power to break up a family should be used judiciously. Excerpt below is from an article on social workers and how they weigh the decision of removing children from their home and placing them in foster care.

The staff is made up of investigators and treatment workers, with investigators handling the initial unannounced knock on the door after a report of abuse or neglect comes into the state’s hot line. Investigators have up to 45 days to decide whether to take a kid into D.C.F. custody, or to leave him at home but compel the family to accept the department’s long-term help, or to deem a report unsubstantiated and let the case go. During this time they can enter the house again and again and interview school nurses and neighbors, anyone who might know how well or terribly a child is being cared for. To take control of a child for longer than four days, the department needs a judge’s approval, but if a social worker senses that a child is at immediate risk, a supervisor’s signature on a form known as a “96-hour hold” will let her walk away with that boy, that girl or all the children in the house.

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So I am on my blog greasy. Putting finishing touches on my, "Why women love bad boys" post, "The Coney Island, Stop Shooting" post, (Hi Rafi) and my .2 cents on the "Phonte/Noz/Bol/Gotty" bloggy fun. Oh, Davey D got a post up on the role of the White fan in Hip Hop.
All I know is that it is hot, and M.dot, is happy she don't stay in Queens. How you gon' live inna tri-state and not have electricity for 6+ days. We ain't at camp!


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