R.I.P. Trayvon Martin

Please devote a few moments of your day in memory of Trayvon Martin, who was murdered one year ago today.

Lil Wayne and Emmett Till . . continued

A few days ago I posted about the horrible verse that Lil Wayne wrote and recorded on an upcoming song, which included a statement about "beating up that pussy like Emmett Till." (Till was tortured and murdered in 1955 after alledgely whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. A bunch of you commented your outrage.)

I found out yesterday that it seems our outrage has been heard, and the record label is pulling the lyrics, and apologizing to the family.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702029/lil-wayne-karate-chop-remix-emmett-till.jhtml

I've taken a lot of ribbing from my friends and family for being a Lil Wayne fan (I'm 54), but I broke my allegiance with Weezy after this horrendous and will never purchase any more of his music.

P. S. Stevie Wonder, by the way, spoke out about the lyrics, too!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

It is noon on Valentine's Day, and I am still in bed by myself, waiting for the painkillers to kick in so I can start my day. My multiple sclerosis is kicking my butt, once again. 

But do I feel loved?
 
Yes, I can honestly say I do. 

Thank you, family and friends, for sending your love to me so splendidly throughout the year. Every day has been Valentine's Day for me!

 

Lil Wayne and Emmett Till

Below is a before and after picture of 14-year-old Emmett Till -- before he was brutally tortured and murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman . . . and after. 




And below is an excerpt of the lyrics in Lil Wayne's verse on the new Future remix Karate Chop: 

"Pop a lot of pain pills
Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels
Beat that pussy up like Emmett Till
Yeah….
Two cell phones ringin’ at the same time
That’s your ho, callin’ from two different phones
Tell that bitch “leave me the fuck alone!”
See, you fuck her wrong, and I fuck her long.”

What are your thoughts?

In an interview given shortly after the song came out (and posted below) the late young Mr. Till's family shared theirs:

“To compare his murder and how beaten and how bullied, beatened, and tortured he was to the anatomy of a woman was really very disrespectful,” said Taylor in a video posted on RapRadar.com. “We found it dishonorable to his name and what his death has meant to us as a people and as a culture. It was offensive not only to us, but to our ancestors and to women and to themselves as young, black men. I just couldn’t understand how you could compare the gateway of life to the brutality and punishment of death. And I feel as though they have no pride and no dignity as black men.”
Taylor then went on to state that not only is the Till family concerned with Till’s image, they’re also concerned with the young people who happen to be immersed in Lil Wayne’s music.
“Our family was very offended, very hurt,” Taylor revealed. “Disturbed by it…Our young people they emulate what they see, what they hear, and what they’re immersed in. And then we question them as they grow up and become citizens and they’re supposed to be productive in society and they’re not productive. And society is already criminalizing our young, black men at every opportunity they have. So it just really concerns us that here you are using Emmett Till’s name in such an egregious way and you’re not having any respect for yourselves as well as our family. And that’s the biggest concern. We’re concerned about our young people as well as the image of Emmett Till.”

 I'm going to be honest . . . up until now I was a big Lil Wayne fan (remember how you cringed when I first told you that, Nzinga Oyaniyi? LOL), and thought he was just in need of little guidance, and a lot of spiritual cleansing. 

I now think he is beyond help, and I'm getting rid of all his music.

But let me clear . . . this is NOT an indictment against hip-hop music, or the hip-hop generation. There are quite a few young rappers in my opinion, that have at least some sense of consciousness. And there are even more young non-rappers with a hell of a lot of consciousness.
 
No... my post is this specifically regarding Lill Wayne.

Here's The Real Deal . . .

Ever sat next to someone whose body odor was so bad that when they brushed up against you your clothes began to smell, too? Happened to me a couple of days ago while I sat in an airport. 

Ugh!

Happy Oya's Day!

Hekwa Oyansa!