Garvey's Ghost: Black Talk

"Thugz abound

"You can take the negro out the ghetto
but can't take the ghetto out the Negro
what makes you think you can take the ghetto out the ghetto?"
-Faraji Salim
Neo Millenium Negroes
Griot For The New Millenium

The passing of ODB (Old Dirty Bastard) of Wu-Tang fame has illicited articles that embraced his creativity and discussed his problems, which apparently were many. I wont go into them here 'cause if you know you know. But one thing that stood out to me was when he said, in a momment of sincere introspection, that he didn't know how to live life without drugs. My classist side wanted to rage on ODB about his problems, but my sensible side realized that had he been white he simply would be considered "essentric." But another side of me looks at ODB and realizes that he could have simply been a victim of ghetto life. And this so called ghetto lifestyle, glamourized and pushed by large white owned and black fronted corporations, continues to feed dumb behavior. Hence we have the violence at the VIBE awards this year. And it's not the first time that a fight happened at a Hip Hop award show and no, I don't particulary want to know about what goes on at rock concerts.
Supposedly Young Buck of the G-Unit of 50-cent fame, attempted to stab Dr. Dre after asking for an autograph. There are audio recordings of Suge Knight discussion not being a snitch, rat and some other nonsense. More "ghetto bullshit" if you ask me.

Let's be real here: G-Unit and Young Buck should be making some nice loot. Should have a good accountant setting them up for when they won't be on the charts themselves and when they will be busy producing new artists or, if miracles happen, set up a large corporate entity with distribution so that Hip Hop can be independent again. but no, instead (supposedly) Young Buck and most likely other Young Bucks that come after him will try to throw away success by trying to be "thugz." and no doubt there are some fans out there who are saying right now, just as was said about R-Kelly, how 'weak" Dr. Dre is because he may be cooperating with the police. Which brings me back to the ODB. People yucked it up when he pulled up to the welfare office in a limo to get his babymomma her welfare check ( or foodstamps, I can't remember which). But how many saw it as a part of the "ghetto fab" life that is snuffing potential? See when someone finds something funny that aint neccessarily so, then someone else takes that as license to take that extra step to "keep it real" and "keep it gully." How about we just be real and not accept violence at our shows? Let's honor ODB by learning from his mistakes that he himself admitted to.

links:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vibe18nov17,1,3058281.story?coll=la-headlines-california