Who Speaks for the 'hood ?
How Black Leaders Failed Us
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott
"Follow the leader is the title, theme, task. Now ya know/you don't have to ask."
Follow the Leader Eric B and Rakim
An election was held in Harlem, yesterday, to elect a new national Black leader. For months, top contenders, Rev. Jesse Sharpton and Dr. Cornel Smiley, had been trying to out shine each other in an attempt to grab the coveted title. However, when the final vote was cast, the late rapper "The Vanglorious Makaveli Smalls" won a decisive write-in victory. Sharpton and Smiley took the first flight out of town, ashamed that the biggest civil rights leaders in the world had been beaten by a rapper from the 'hood who was murdered 15 years ago.
For the last few years there has been an uncivil war going on in the Black community between Rev. Al Sharpton, reppin' the old school Civil Rights crew and the intellectual tag team of Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley. For months they have traded disses back and forth like a Freestyle Friday battle over who is the legitimate leader of the masses of Black folk.
Problem is. Neither side really speaks for the streets; especially, the youth. It can even be argued that the late Tupac Shakur is still more politically relevant to this generation than today's black leaders.
Traditionally, Black leadership has been made up of members of the middle class who use the poor as political pawns. In 1957, E. Franklin Frazier wrote in his book "Black Bourgeoisie, " "as the intellectual leaders in the Negro community, they have never dared think beyond a narrow, opportunistic philosophy that provided a rationalization for their own advantages."
How many forums have you watched on C-Span where a bunch of highly educated Black "leaders" in expensive suits talked for three hours about the problems facing America and not a word was relevant to the 'hood ?
As Dr. Carter G. Woodson wrote in "The Mis-Education of the Negro," " one of the most striking evidences of the failure of higher education among Negroes is the estrangement from the masses, the very people upon whom they must eventually count for carrying out a program of progress. "
The biggest scam played on the streets by "Black leaders" is the "non-economic liberalism" con which Harold Cruse discusses in his book "Plural but Equal." According to Cruse groups like the NAACP traded Black economic empowerment for the impotent, feel good ideology of civil rights. So people died for the right to sit next to a white person in a restaurant when they should have been fighting to own the joint.
The fight over who should be the leader of Black Americans can be traced back to the 1843 National Convention of Colored Citizens and the debates between Frederick Douglass and Henry Highland Garnet. According to Bradford Chambers in "Chronicles of Black Protest, " Garnet wanted to go hard against slavery with his "Call to Rebellion" speech but his efforts were undermined by Douglass's softer call for "moral suasion." Because Garnet was seen as too radical, Douglass became America's first national Black "leader."
During the early 20th century the fight for Black leadership was between Booker T. Washington and Dr. WEB DuBois. Washington was the reigning champion after the 1895 Atlanta Exposition where he delivered a speech that, according to his book "Up From Slavery , was used to "cement the friendship of the races and bring about hearty cooperation between them." Dubois, however, wanted to intellectually and politically challenge the idea of white supremacy. After the death of Washington, Dubois went against Marcus Garvey, an advocate of Black Pride, self sufficiency and a strong identification with Africa as discussed in detail in Dr. Tony Martin's work "Race First."
The conflict of the 60's was between the civil rights leaders lead by Dr. Martin Luther King and members of the Black Power Movement who followed the ideology of Malcolm X. Because they were less threatening to the staus quo, the followers of King became the "official" Black leaders.
During the late 80's, a second Black Power movement emerged via Hip Hop as young Black kids began to identify with the outcasts. Instead of repeating the "I Have a Dream Speech," Hip Hop artists such as Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy began to sample speeches by Kwame Ture, Dr. Khalid Muhammad and Min. Louis Farrakhan. Also, a new generation of Black youth begin to embrace Afrocentric thought, courtesy of scholars like Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Dr. Leonard Jeffries and so called "conspiracy theories" by Del Jones and Steve Cokely, who mainstream Black leadership had deemed political pariahs. These vibrations still flow through underground conscious Hip Hop even in 2012.
This is the real reason that the torch was never passed to the Hip Hop generation. Although the old school Civil Rights leaders always complain about how young people aren't willing to "pick up the mantel of leadership," in truth, they ain't givin' that up without a fight. The only way to get that golden mantle is to pry it from their cold dead hands. Even today, it is the clones of Dr. King who sit on the thrones of Black leadership, as they have the cable news networks, radio stations and magazine covers on lock.
But we have something they never will; Hip Hop and the ears of the streets.
Hip Hop still remains the most volatile weapon that can be used to challenge the status quo. What if rappers used the money that they are spending makin' it rain in the clubs to build more Black businesses. Or instead of rapping about "Rack City" they used their words to make a strong "Black City?" Maybe it's time for the Hip Hop Nation to overthrow traditional Black leadership and replace them with people who truly rep' the poor and oppressed in 'hoods across America.
The choice is yours.
Like Nas asked on "My Generation, "What's up with tomorrow? Will you lead? Will you follow?"
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott's weekly column is "This Ain't Hip Hop," a column for intelligent Hip Hop headz. His website is NoWarningShotsFired.com He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista
Showing posts with label Rev. Al Sharpton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rev. Al Sharpton. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Al Sharpton vs Tavis Smiley:
Rev. Al Shapton vs Tavis Smiley:
The Battle for Black Leadership Supremacy
Paul Scott
"When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers"
African Proverb
Introducing in the red corner wearing the "Obama is My Homie" t-shirt, the reigning world champion of black leadership, the Rev. Al "Razor Sharp" Sharpton. And in the blue corner ,quietly sippin' on a Thermos of Obama Hata-aid, is the number one challenger, Tavis "Ain't Nobody Smilin'" Smiley.
After a long absence from the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tavis Smiley made a comeback cameo appearance this morning as he came out swinging against against Rev. Al Sharpton, the NAACP and everybody else that has been ,unilaterally, supporting President Obama's policies. He feels that some of the Civil Rights folks have changed the lyrics from "We Shall Over Come" to "We Have Over Come," a bit prematurely by saying that it is not necessary for Obama to have a "black agenda." He also announced a meeting to discuss the Obama controversy to be held in Chicago on March 20th.
Later in the day, Rev. Sharpton had three hours, courtesy of his nationally syndicated program, "Keepin' it Real," to issue a rebuttal. Rev didn't have to do much name calling as his callers and Tweeters handled that. However, he did question whether the purpose of the March 20th camp meeting was for somebody to sell books.
Ouch!
Contrary to what Mr. Smiley says, The Prez does have a black agenda, if black kids would stay in school and stop listening to all that hippity hoppity music then they, too, could be the leaders of the Free world. At least that's the message that he gives when he's in front of a predominately black audience like the NAACP. I can't wait to see him perform the American Idol hit, "Pants on the Ground," at the next NAACP convention.
Many of us agree with Smiley, that it is not that simple. You can't talk about black pathology unless you put it in the context of global white supremacy.
It must be noted that members of the more black nationalistic community already beat Smiley to the punch as CEMOTAP and "The Family and Friends of Mutulu Shakur" already had this debate more than a year ago in Harlem. Unfortunately, most of the folks the were at the December 2008 debate will probably never be on that all-star panel at Smiley's "State of Black Union" meetings.
(Check out the audio courtesy of Voxunion.com)
It must also be noted that Glen Ford, of Black Agenda Report and members of the Black is Back Coalition have been raising the issue of Obama's responsibility to black folks for months.
So, the bigger issue that must be addressed is not only Obama but more importantly, the need for new voices to be heard in the black community.
For too many years, we have had the same old leaders discussing the same old issues. Yet, our condition seems to be getting worst.
It is a shame that we still have only a hand full of people (who most folks in the 'hood have never heard of) claiming to rep' for 30 million black folks. There are many questions that are relevant to everyday black folks that "black leaders" wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, not the least being whether politics is a viable option for the liberation of black people in the first place.
It's time for new black voices blastin' from the grassroots.
So whoever wins the debate in March, as they say on the basketball court,
"We got next !"
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
The Battle for Black Leadership Supremacy
Paul Scott
"When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers"
African Proverb
Introducing in the red corner wearing the "Obama is My Homie" t-shirt, the reigning world champion of black leadership, the Rev. Al "Razor Sharp" Sharpton. And in the blue corner ,quietly sippin' on a Thermos of Obama Hata-aid, is the number one challenger, Tavis "Ain't Nobody Smilin'" Smiley.
After a long absence from the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tavis Smiley made a comeback cameo appearance this morning as he came out swinging against against Rev. Al Sharpton, the NAACP and everybody else that has been ,unilaterally, supporting President Obama's policies. He feels that some of the Civil Rights folks have changed the lyrics from "We Shall Over Come" to "We Have Over Come," a bit prematurely by saying that it is not necessary for Obama to have a "black agenda." He also announced a meeting to discuss the Obama controversy to be held in Chicago on March 20th.
Later in the day, Rev. Sharpton had three hours, courtesy of his nationally syndicated program, "Keepin' it Real," to issue a rebuttal. Rev didn't have to do much name calling as his callers and Tweeters handled that. However, he did question whether the purpose of the March 20th camp meeting was for somebody to sell books.
Ouch!
Contrary to what Mr. Smiley says, The Prez does have a black agenda, if black kids would stay in school and stop listening to all that hippity hoppity music then they, too, could be the leaders of the Free world. At least that's the message that he gives when he's in front of a predominately black audience like the NAACP. I can't wait to see him perform the American Idol hit, "Pants on the Ground," at the next NAACP convention.
Many of us agree with Smiley, that it is not that simple. You can't talk about black pathology unless you put it in the context of global white supremacy.
It must be noted that members of the more black nationalistic community already beat Smiley to the punch as CEMOTAP and "The Family and Friends of Mutulu Shakur" already had this debate more than a year ago in Harlem. Unfortunately, most of the folks the were at the December 2008 debate will probably never be on that all-star panel at Smiley's "State of Black Union" meetings.
(Check out the audio courtesy of Voxunion.com)
It must also be noted that Glen Ford, of Black Agenda Report and members of the Black is Back Coalition have been raising the issue of Obama's responsibility to black folks for months.
So, the bigger issue that must be addressed is not only Obama but more importantly, the need for new voices to be heard in the black community.
For too many years, we have had the same old leaders discussing the same old issues. Yet, our condition seems to be getting worst.
It is a shame that we still have only a hand full of people (who most folks in the 'hood have never heard of) claiming to rep' for 30 million black folks. There are many questions that are relevant to everyday black folks that "black leaders" wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, not the least being whether politics is a viable option for the liberation of black people in the first place.
It's time for new black voices blastin' from the grassroots.
So whoever wins the debate in March, as they say on the basketball court,
"We got next !"
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Confessions of an Angry Black Man
Confessions of an Angry Black Man:
White America's Guide to Understanding Black Rage
Paul Scott
James Baldwin once said that to be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage. Maybe that explains why the black guy in the car next to you looks like he just had a bowl of nails for breakfast.
Most white Americans are of the opinion that these are happy times for black folks. You know, with the dude that everyone assumes is our "homie" in the White House and all. Even hardcore Hip Hoppers like Jay Z and Young Jeezy took brief hiatuses from rapping about guns and drugs to acknowledge the historic 2008 presidential victory. So even the most liberal white guy greats the permanent Ice Cube- like scowl on my face with the comforting words of "why so glum, chum ?"
For many African Americans, the euphoria of the last election has not lived up to the hype. This is compounded by the increasing attacks on "blackness" by the right wing under the guise of critiquing the Obama administration.
So, as comedian Richard Pryor once said, "I got a right to be hostile, my people are being persecuted!"
While today's average white American sees the modern expression of black anger as something as commercially, superficial as Kanye West snatchin' a microphone from Taylor Swift, black rage is deeply rooted in American history.
One of the first instances of black anger in written form was Wilmington NC native David Walker's, "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World."
The 1829 pamphlet boldly warned America that "woe, woe will be to you if we have to obtain our freedom by fighting." Not quite the sentiment of the stereotypical "happy go lucky darkie" of Antebellum America folk lore.
Black disillusionment continued after World Wars I and II as the black soldiers who risked their lives overseas experienced as much racism on foreign soil as they did domestically. It has been recorded that German prisoners of war received better treatment than African American enlisted men. The soldiers also returned home to see black men lynched while still in uniform.
The condition of African Americans did not change during the following decades, prompting Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer to proclaim in frustration that she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired."
Black rage of the Civil Rights Age came to a head after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, resulting in the burning of many American cities, bringing to fruition the prophesies of Black Power prophets of rage like Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) and H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin).
Black anger trickled into the 80's and early 90's with a series of rebellions accompanied by a soundtrack courtesy of a politicized Hip Hop movement courtesy of groups like Public Enemy; the rebellions after the so called "Rodney King Trial" being the most reminiscent of the explosive 60's.
Not only black rage but protest in general was subdued after 9/11 as anything even remotely resembling anti-Americanism was seen as a threat to national security and carried with it the possibility of a lengthy stay at the Gitmo Hotel.
In 2009, the current state of affairs in this country threatens to wake the sleeping not -so- jolly black giant.
However, the spark that may ignite Baldwin's, "Fire Next Time" may be mostly based on a deep sense of hopelessness.
Many African Americans are now questioning whether things will ever get better. I mean, there are just so many times that you can ,unsuccessfully, play the Lotto at your local convenience before storming to the exit knocking over a rack of potato chips on your way out.
What if the unemployment rate never goes down?
What if 2010 brings about another Republican revolution?
What if the mass mobilization of the right wing base is successful and President Obama does not win a second term and the miracle of a black president goes down in the annals of American history as a fluke?
This state of fear and frustration is worsened by ultra conservative talking heads who insist on pouring gasoline on the fire on a daily basis.
There is an old adage in the black community that if you tell white folks what they want to hear, all will be right with the world.
Therefore, white America may be totally oblivious to the black rage bubblin' under the surface until it boils over.
The average Joe Bob will believe that everything is fine and dandy until Willie Smith, his mild mannered black coworker goes off on a tirade about "400 years of oppression," after he, politely, asks him for one of his doughnuts one morning.
So, the question that is being posed in 2009 is the same question that poet Langston Hughes asked in 1951,
"What happens to a dream deferred?"
I don't know, America. You tell me...
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
White America's Guide to Understanding Black Rage
Paul Scott
James Baldwin once said that to be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage. Maybe that explains why the black guy in the car next to you looks like he just had a bowl of nails for breakfast.
Most white Americans are of the opinion that these are happy times for black folks. You know, with the dude that everyone assumes is our "homie" in the White House and all. Even hardcore Hip Hoppers like Jay Z and Young Jeezy took brief hiatuses from rapping about guns and drugs to acknowledge the historic 2008 presidential victory. So even the most liberal white guy greats the permanent Ice Cube- like scowl on my face with the comforting words of "why so glum, chum ?"
For many African Americans, the euphoria of the last election has not lived up to the hype. This is compounded by the increasing attacks on "blackness" by the right wing under the guise of critiquing the Obama administration.
So, as comedian Richard Pryor once said, "I got a right to be hostile, my people are being persecuted!"
While today's average white American sees the modern expression of black anger as something as commercially, superficial as Kanye West snatchin' a microphone from Taylor Swift, black rage is deeply rooted in American history.
One of the first instances of black anger in written form was Wilmington NC native David Walker's, "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World."
The 1829 pamphlet boldly warned America that "woe, woe will be to you if we have to obtain our freedom by fighting." Not quite the sentiment of the stereotypical "happy go lucky darkie" of Antebellum America folk lore.
Black disillusionment continued after World Wars I and II as the black soldiers who risked their lives overseas experienced as much racism on foreign soil as they did domestically. It has been recorded that German prisoners of war received better treatment than African American enlisted men. The soldiers also returned home to see black men lynched while still in uniform.
The condition of African Americans did not change during the following decades, prompting Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer to proclaim in frustration that she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired."
Black rage of the Civil Rights Age came to a head after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, resulting in the burning of many American cities, bringing to fruition the prophesies of Black Power prophets of rage like Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) and H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin).
Black anger trickled into the 80's and early 90's with a series of rebellions accompanied by a soundtrack courtesy of a politicized Hip Hop movement courtesy of groups like Public Enemy; the rebellions after the so called "Rodney King Trial" being the most reminiscent of the explosive 60's.
Not only black rage but protest in general was subdued after 9/11 as anything even remotely resembling anti-Americanism was seen as a threat to national security and carried with it the possibility of a lengthy stay at the Gitmo Hotel.
In 2009, the current state of affairs in this country threatens to wake the sleeping not -so- jolly black giant.
However, the spark that may ignite Baldwin's, "Fire Next Time" may be mostly based on a deep sense of hopelessness.
Many African Americans are now questioning whether things will ever get better. I mean, there are just so many times that you can ,unsuccessfully, play the Lotto at your local convenience before storming to the exit knocking over a rack of potato chips on your way out.
What if the unemployment rate never goes down?
What if 2010 brings about another Republican revolution?
What if the mass mobilization of the right wing base is successful and President Obama does not win a second term and the miracle of a black president goes down in the annals of American history as a fluke?
This state of fear and frustration is worsened by ultra conservative talking heads who insist on pouring gasoline on the fire on a daily basis.
There is an old adage in the black community that if you tell white folks what they want to hear, all will be right with the world.
Therefore, white America may be totally oblivious to the black rage bubblin' under the surface until it boils over.
The average Joe Bob will believe that everything is fine and dandy until Willie Smith, his mild mannered black coworker goes off on a tirade about "400 years of oppression," after he, politely, asks him for one of his doughnuts one morning.
So, the question that is being posed in 2009 is the same question that poet Langston Hughes asked in 1951,
"What happens to a dream deferred?"
I don't know, America. You tell me...
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Monday, September 21, 2009
Rev. Al "Razor Sharp" Sharpton to Take on WWE
Rev. Al "Razor Sharp" Sharpton to Host WWE Raw
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. I just saw where Rev. Al Sharpton is going to be the guest host on World Wrestling Entertainment's top rated show, Raw, next week.
Is nothin' sacred?
I haven't been this disappointed since MC Hammer was dancing around with a bucket of fried chicken in those KFC commercials back in the day.
Now, I know that WWE has millions of viewers but I just don't see why the good Rev would lower himself to appear on a show with overweight men in tights beating each other's brains out with steel chairs.
Say it ain't so!
Maybe there is a method to his madness.
Since the running gimmick on Raw is that the guest host picks the matches for the evening maybe Rev. Al is going to present the Wrestlemania of Politics featuring:
In a leather strap match Glenn "No Respect" Beck will take on Van "the Buzz Saw Czar" Jones.
In a Diva' s swim suit match match: Ann "Annihilator" Coulter will take on Michelle "Bring the Drama" Obama.
For the WWE tag team championship: The Masked Foxes, "Wild Bill" O'Reilly and Sean "The Shark" Hannity will fight THE CN-Enemies, Rollin' Roland Martin and Larry "the Killer" King.
And in the main event, for the heavy weight championship of the world, Barack "tha Bomb" Obama will battle "Joe "You Lie" Wilson in a cage match.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. I just saw where Rev. Al Sharpton is going to be the guest host on World Wrestling Entertainment's top rated show, Raw, next week.
Is nothin' sacred?
I haven't been this disappointed since MC Hammer was dancing around with a bucket of fried chicken in those KFC commercials back in the day.
Now, I know that WWE has millions of viewers but I just don't see why the good Rev would lower himself to appear on a show with overweight men in tights beating each other's brains out with steel chairs.
Say it ain't so!
Maybe there is a method to his madness.
Since the running gimmick on Raw is that the guest host picks the matches for the evening maybe Rev. Al is going to present the Wrestlemania of Politics featuring:
In a leather strap match Glenn "No Respect" Beck will take on Van "the Buzz Saw Czar" Jones.
In a Diva' s swim suit match match: Ann "Annihilator" Coulter will take on Michelle "Bring the Drama" Obama.
For the WWE tag team championship: The Masked Foxes, "Wild Bill" O'Reilly and Sean "The Shark" Hannity will fight THE CN-Enemies, Rollin' Roland Martin and Larry "the Killer" King.
And in the main event, for the heavy weight championship of the world, Barack "tha Bomb" Obama will battle "Joe "You Lie" Wilson in a cage match.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Radio Plays Race Card Music
Radio Plays Race Card Music
Paul Scott
By now you've heard last weeks propaganda campaign by Radio One's owner, Cathy Hughes and others warning that black life on the planet Earth will cease to exist if HR 848 (The Performance Bill) becomes law. The bill will require radio stations to pay a "tax" on the music that they play in order to pay the musicians that recorded the songs. This will, according to them, cause black radio to become extinct.
I don't know about ya'll but it bugs the heck out of me when folks use the general welfare of black folks as a marketing tool.
The comments of Hughes and the rest of the anti-Performance Rights Act crusaders are text book examples of hyped up , hyperbole meant to scare black folks who don't know any better.
Let's keep it really real. Black radio has not been "black" since the late 80's. As the popularity of Hip Hop began to grow and the artists began to cross over to the pop charts, black radio to began to attract white listeners and dropped the "black" moniker and became "urban." To identify too closely with black folks would have the potential to alienate their hip white listeners.
It must also be noted that today, the same music that is in heavy rotation on urban radio is also played on white radio stations. If you take away the occasional Molly Cyrus song, the play lists are almost identical.
So what is the actual working definition of "black radio" in 2009?
For most black folks (who are the targets of the Save Black Radio Campaign) a black radio station is a station that plays "black" music which includes cool white dudes like Robin Thick and Justin Timberlake. Most folks don't feel the need to research who really controls what, so to the lay radio listener, a white owned radio station that plays Hip Hop is the same as a black radio station.
Also, if black listeners did do a little research they would uncover how many white radio executives, programmers and radio consultants are actually involved in what "black" music goes over the airwaves. So the line between black radio and white radio gets real blurry, real quick. Is it really black radio or white radio in blackface? For instance, until she retired in 2006, Mary Sneed, a 50 something year old white woman was the chief operating officer at the now super black Radio One.
http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2006/06/15/one-of-the-most-powerful-people-in-urban-radio-leaves-her-post/
Kinda blows the whole black empowerment argument out of the water, huh ?
See, Hughes and the rest of them are seeking support from "radio groupies" who believe everything that they hear on the radio or see on TV without asking questions. But the problem that the radio folks will encounter is that radio groupies are notoriously fickle. Sure, they may have your back today but just let your white competition start giving away free tickets to the next Lil Wayne concert and watch your comrades defect to your enemy's side.
In their infinite wisdom ,the execs at the radio stations are also trying to garner support from the community activists and church folks by saying that talk radio and gospel stations will be the first to go if HR 848 passes. That would be all well and good except the bible thumpin' church folks oppose 99% of what the secular money makers are playing for their babies and the community activists are ticked off that their local issues can't make it to the syndicated air waves. While they may feel bad for black folks who may lose their jobs, as one person wrote, "how many local radio people lost their jobs when their morning radio spot became syndicated?"
Also, there is the falsehood that urban radio contributes to the overall economy of the black community. I dare you to listen to any urban radio station and count the number of struggling local black businesses you hear advertising on black radio. I guess the only people who can afford the rates are the major white companies that know the value of the black dollar; liquor companies, fast food enterprises, etc.
So, the misinformation that is being spewed just doesn't gel with the facts.
Even though urban radio is trying to get props for helping to elect this country's first black president, I don' think the fact that the whining of well off black radio executives over having to pay more taxes sounds very, very similar to the rantings of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of those right wing conservatives who took part in those tax day tea parties, last month is being missed by many black folks.
Although, black radio people are reppin' for Obama and the Democrats, now, you better check their voter registration cards. (I'm just sayn')
The question that black folks are asking on the street is why is this a race issue to be viewed in the same way as police shootings of unarmed black men and educational inequalities?
Because the radio execs see most black folks as prostitutes who can easily be pimped.
However, anyone who has taken time to even glance through Dr Claude Anderson's "Black Labor, White Wealth" or Harold Cruse's "Rebellion or Revolution" can easily see through the charade. But the record execs and their advertisers are relying on the idea that black folks only read Hip Hop magazines, urban novels and the sports pages.
To say that black folks have been through a lot in this country is a gross understatement. So, it is understandable that we are a little sensative when it comes to matters of race. However, this has made us vulnerable to every shyster who tries to paint something as "racism" which is, in essence, just a matter of corporate greed and capitalist economics. So anything that effects their own personal pocket books becomes a grand conspiracy to destroy all black folks.
The real conspiracy is not the demise of black radio but the overall dumbing down and corporate exploitation of the black community. This is the real stage and black radio execs are the actors playing the part.
To borrow from Jay Z , there are 99 problems facing black folks but this ain't one.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Paul Scott
By now you've heard last weeks propaganda campaign by Radio One's owner, Cathy Hughes and others warning that black life on the planet Earth will cease to exist if HR 848 (The Performance Bill) becomes law. The bill will require radio stations to pay a "tax" on the music that they play in order to pay the musicians that recorded the songs. This will, according to them, cause black radio to become extinct.
I don't know about ya'll but it bugs the heck out of me when folks use the general welfare of black folks as a marketing tool.
The comments of Hughes and the rest of the anti-Performance Rights Act crusaders are text book examples of hyped up , hyperbole meant to scare black folks who don't know any better.
Let's keep it really real. Black radio has not been "black" since the late 80's. As the popularity of Hip Hop began to grow and the artists began to cross over to the pop charts, black radio to began to attract white listeners and dropped the "black" moniker and became "urban." To identify too closely with black folks would have the potential to alienate their hip white listeners.
It must also be noted that today, the same music that is in heavy rotation on urban radio is also played on white radio stations. If you take away the occasional Molly Cyrus song, the play lists are almost identical.
So what is the actual working definition of "black radio" in 2009?
For most black folks (who are the targets of the Save Black Radio Campaign) a black radio station is a station that plays "black" music which includes cool white dudes like Robin Thick and Justin Timberlake. Most folks don't feel the need to research who really controls what, so to the lay radio listener, a white owned radio station that plays Hip Hop is the same as a black radio station.
Also, if black listeners did do a little research they would uncover how many white radio executives, programmers and radio consultants are actually involved in what "black" music goes over the airwaves. So the line between black radio and white radio gets real blurry, real quick. Is it really black radio or white radio in blackface? For instance, until she retired in 2006, Mary Sneed, a 50 something year old white woman was the chief operating officer at the now super black Radio One.
http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2006/06/15/one-of-the-most-powerful-people-in-urban-radio-leaves-her-post/
Kinda blows the whole black empowerment argument out of the water, huh ?
See, Hughes and the rest of them are seeking support from "radio groupies" who believe everything that they hear on the radio or see on TV without asking questions. But the problem that the radio folks will encounter is that radio groupies are notoriously fickle. Sure, they may have your back today but just let your white competition start giving away free tickets to the next Lil Wayne concert and watch your comrades defect to your enemy's side.
In their infinite wisdom ,the execs at the radio stations are also trying to garner support from the community activists and church folks by saying that talk radio and gospel stations will be the first to go if HR 848 passes. That would be all well and good except the bible thumpin' church folks oppose 99% of what the secular money makers are playing for their babies and the community activists are ticked off that their local issues can't make it to the syndicated air waves. While they may feel bad for black folks who may lose their jobs, as one person wrote, "how many local radio people lost their jobs when their morning radio spot became syndicated?"
Also, there is the falsehood that urban radio contributes to the overall economy of the black community. I dare you to listen to any urban radio station and count the number of struggling local black businesses you hear advertising on black radio. I guess the only people who can afford the rates are the major white companies that know the value of the black dollar; liquor companies, fast food enterprises, etc.
So, the misinformation that is being spewed just doesn't gel with the facts.
Even though urban radio is trying to get props for helping to elect this country's first black president, I don' think the fact that the whining of well off black radio executives over having to pay more taxes sounds very, very similar to the rantings of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of those right wing conservatives who took part in those tax day tea parties, last month is being missed by many black folks.
Although, black radio people are reppin' for Obama and the Democrats, now, you better check their voter registration cards. (I'm just sayn')
The question that black folks are asking on the street is why is this a race issue to be viewed in the same way as police shootings of unarmed black men and educational inequalities?
Because the radio execs see most black folks as prostitutes who can easily be pimped.
However, anyone who has taken time to even glance through Dr Claude Anderson's "Black Labor, White Wealth" or Harold Cruse's "Rebellion or Revolution" can easily see through the charade. But the record execs and their advertisers are relying on the idea that black folks only read Hip Hop magazines, urban novels and the sports pages.
To say that black folks have been through a lot in this country is a gross understatement. So, it is understandable that we are a little sensative when it comes to matters of race. However, this has made us vulnerable to every shyster who tries to paint something as "racism" which is, in essence, just a matter of corporate greed and capitalist economics. So anything that effects their own personal pocket books becomes a grand conspiracy to destroy all black folks.
The real conspiracy is not the demise of black radio but the overall dumbing down and corporate exploitation of the black community. This is the real stage and black radio execs are the actors playing the part.
To borrow from Jay Z , there are 99 problems facing black folks but this ain't one.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
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