Afeni Shakur We Salute You. Thank You For All Of Your Hard Work And Sacrifices...
In discussing the news that Queen Afeni Shakur had passed away, one common thought expressed over and over again centered around the idea of who would now control the music, legacy & likeness of our departed brother Tupac Shakur. As if the corporate culture vultures had not already done all the could to water-down and bastardize the defiant/revolutionary-minded Pac, in favor of the more reckless version we saw during his Death Row Records days-now they may have the opportunity to ramp those efforts to new levels. My next thought centered around which version of Afeni shakur would the media focus on, when discussing her life. Would they minimize her just being Mother Of the Late Tupac Shakur? How quick would they move to dwell on her past substance abuse problems? More importantly, how would they report on her time fighting on the frontlines of The Black Panther Party-if at all?? Being that she was the driving force behind the eventual acquittal of The Panther 21, anything less than the dignity warranted for a Freedom Fighter would be unacceptable. But I'm sure that I will be disappointed, as they will not due her justice and the focus will immediately shift to how to monetize the legacies of both her and her son. Why? Because in America, We The Black & Brown are not considered to have a soul worthy of the same dignities required to be given to others. So daily, whether we realize it or not, "They got us fighting for our spirit and mind." How much longer will we have to fight? Until more of us take up the mantle of those before us, move up into vanguard positions and work on every level imaginable to finally bring Power To The People... Afeni Shakur We Salute You. Thank You For All Of Your Hard Work And Sacrifices...
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For most people that grew up in the 70's and 80's Pro Wrestling and Shaolin Kung Fu Movies were two staples that dominated television on any weekend, and for me both of those somewhat guilty pleasures would continue to be a part of my life right up to this day. I don't really get too much into toady's wrestling as much; but can (and do) sometimes spend hours at a time watching the old classics. Figuring I knew just about all there is to know about the different legends and pioneers, I have spent considerable time learning about the Black and Brown Faces of yesteryear that could have been so much more well known-if not for segregation and old racist attitudes in certain territories. People like Ernie "The Big Cat" Ladd, Bobo Brazil, Thunderbolt Patterson, The Junkyard Dog and many others were fan favorites and generated lots of money for the different promotions that they worked for; but were not allowed runs as World champions because by many accounts promoters feared that angry white fans might riot. In fact it wasn't until 1992 that a Black World Heavyweight Champion would be crowned, when College Football Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons would be Big Van Vader for The WCW World Heavyweight Championship Belt. One pioneering name seems to have fell through the cracks; and it wasn't until watching last week's WWE Hall Of Fame Presentation Show that I first heard the name "Sailor" Art Thomas. Inducted as a "Legacy" entrant, Art Thomas broke into wrestling back in 1943. After finishing up his time in the U.S. Navy, Thomas had already made a name for himself as a Bodybuilder and was asked to wrestle some house shows. Possessing an amazing physique, crazy strength, and 6'5" 265 lb frame he quickly rose up the ranks. Billed as a former seaman, Sailor Art Thomas was also known to showcase much style and flavor-always dressed immaculately in either a business suit or a seaman uniform. As a fan favorite Art Thomas would earn many opportunities to challenge for The NWA World Championship Belt-including several memorable battles with The Legendary "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. In the 1960's Sailor art would move on to The then-WWWF and battle in Tag Team matches with Legends like Bobo Brazil and Bruno Sammartino. During the 1970's Art would move on again to wrestle in Canada, and would retire in the early 1980's. While working all over the country, Sailor Art Thomas was best known for his time wrestling in Chicago. Sailor Art would succumb to cancer in 2003. He was also known as "Seaman" Art Thomas, "Hercules," and "The Body." Without his hard work and sacrifice, so many others would not be selling out huge arenas today like The Rock, Booker T, and others have in more recent times. #SaluteThePioneers WELDON IRVINE - "MORNING SUNRISE"His genius is mostly only known by the truest of music aficionados; but his work is the foundation of so many classics of multiple genres. Weldon Irvine once worked for The Legendary Nina Simone-playing Organ, serving as Bandleader, Arranger, and Road Manager. He wrote "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" which would turn into HUGE Hits for Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. He would go on to record several albums of his own, and write/produce at least 20 stage musicals. And his magic would even transcend into the future generations, as he worked actively on albums by Mos Def, BlackStar & others. The featured song of this blog post, "Morning Sunrise," was sampled for Jay-Z's classic "Dear Summer" and also "Bitch Is Crazy" by Drake. The original appeared on his 1979 LP "The Sisters." Sadly, Weldon Irvine's time on this Earth came to close on April 9, 2002. However, his music and contributions will go on FOREVER... http://www.allmusic.com/artist/weldon-irvine-mn0000244561/biography OSHUN - "STAY WOKE"In Yoruba tradition & culture, "Oshun" is "The great mother of love, the great mother of sweetness, the great mother of the river, great mother of healing and fertility, the great mother of abundance." In in that tradition Niambi Sala and Thandiwe have emerged on the music scene with a vengeance not seen since maybe back when Erykah Badu graced us with her musical powers of Elegance & Intelligence. And in their most recent visual, Oshun bless with the powerful mantra "Stay Woke." Starting off with a spoken word intro, that would make The Last Poets so proud, as they ask "When Will You Declare You Destiny?!" the track then glides into a super smooth ode that challenges us to shake off the comforts of blissful ignorance in a system that is designed for your exploitation & eventual destruction. "Picking and choosing when you conscious like narcolepsy, Thinking you equal in the pot that they say is melting-Saying you righteous but you pray at the masters church,And when you're told bout yourself you get your feelings hurt!" As far as the visuals go, the Chelsea Odufu directed video adds a very modern twist to the 1993 film "Sankofa." Don't just look at the video, ANALYZE it. Absorb the lyrics, and then play it again & again. This is just the type of medicine WE need to heal the sickness of post-slavery/colonialism mindset that we cling to still today. Feedback & Comments welcome. "But i still got to get up, cause my dreaming tells me so-Reflecting truth and fate like divination from the soul. Its tiring but better than a wake like funerals. They trying to keep me sleep and dumb cause that's what's comfortable-Catching zzz’s while their alchemy eating pupils closed. And I’m not living life asleep niambi staying woke. Wake up, wake up..." *** (WRITER'S NOTE: The "MUSIC OF THE MIND" Series is loosely inspired by the Classic 1972 "Music of My Mind" album by Stevie Wonder) BONUS CUT: "STUCK" |
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