in denver.
still. much love to my peoples Phya for looking out for my girls
while i look at mountains and try to catch my breath.
the show last nite was bittersweet.
crazy beautiful spot - not many people.
that can b a bit deflating but i had a kick ass band
and we made lemonade with them punk ass lemons!
the last post had me cracking UP! thanks jeep, scatter and matthew! matthew and the puppy kicking -- damn! that was serious!
i was looking at another poet's site (amanda) and i was like raising my fist in the air n ish cause she's addicted to coffee, as am i. starbucks to be exact (whoooooo - look at the disapproving stares!)...
BUT WHAT'S CRAZY IS
i get so many people arguing about how wrong starbucks is - its only 3rd in fair trade list of companies...it annihilates ma and pop spots...yadda yadda yadda.
it's like -- we say this, but how many people sent money to tsunami or better yet, voiced their concern about the NEW YORK HOT 97 spoof song about the tsunami and its victims?
and how many people wear diamonds, gold, shop at major grocery stores, give to the homeless and salvation army?
and how many people inspire, incite or intiate change?
so until you have a list of things you do despite of all your efforts to knock the starbuck's whitechocolatemocha (w/soya) out of my hand -- i suggest you make changes where most needed. assmunch!
random question - talking to my friend the other day. and you know how it is, you sit there and let them spill it and you nod and you are genuine. and she is beautiful and shouldn't be tripping offa nobody (no head swivel, just convicted). and the moment of truth pops up and im like damn. anytime commitement or marriage came up - he went off. don't believe it in, it'll mess ish up, that's the "MANs" definition of together. "dont let them define us baby". so while saying, "girl", 1"you can't settle."
2 "you know what you want and you deserve to be happy"
3 "you can't change no man"
(ya know all the required responses for a sister in distress) i start thinking why are men so afraid of commitement, marriage & monogomy? and what are the signs (yea, the ones we obviously miss) that will save women their time and sanity?
now im sure, its not all men - i have proof (thanks for the hope: 125, dwayne, gaknew & shihan) that it exists and can exist in this world of poetry. but they are a small percentage. and as artists, i'm inclined to know - "what the problem iz?"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
.jpg)
5 comments:
"NEW YORK HOT 97 spoof song about the tsunami and its victims?" What?!!? I've know they do some dumb shit from time to time but what is this all about. Please, let those of us who don't live in HOT 97 land know what's going on.
Manda
P.S. Glad the set went well. 20 or 200 they still get the same show!
EDIT: the mp3 link is not working from their site anymore, but they're not gonna cover this up that easily. The fine citizens at okayplayer.com saved a copy here for evidence. Also check their discussion of the song here and here
Here are some choice lyrics:
..All at once you could hear the screaming ch*nks and no one was safe from the wave there were africans drowning, little chinamen swept away you could hear god laughing, "swim you b*tches swim"
So now you're screwed, it's the Tsunami
you better run or kiss your ass away, go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head
and now the children will be sold to child slavery...
Uhh, yeah. Har de har har.
You may know that one of that show's other hosts, Miss Info, is Asian. She voiced her displeasure with the skit and got into a heated on-air argument with Miss Jones about it. But so far Hot 97 hasn't acknowledged that there's anything wrong with it, and they continue to air it everyday.
As a New Yorker, as a radio person, and as a hip-hop fan I am ashamed and disgusted that Hot 97 is allowing this to broadcast on their airwaves. If you feel the same way you can let them know here:
NOTE: If you use the word "tsunami" in your email it will probably get filtered now, and not read. So try to leave that word out..
HOT 97
395 Hudson St. 7th Fl.
New York, NY 10014
(212) 229-9797
hot97@hot97.com
Or even better, Hot 97's parent company Emmis broadcasting:
ir@emmis.com
jsmulyan@emmis.com
rcummings@emmis.com
jsteele@emmis.com
khealey@emmis.com
And if you really want to send a message, and make Hot 97 hear it, you can contact their advertisers about this. I may try to put together a list of sponsors, or if anybody else has one please pass it along.
EDIT: The list of sponsors is here
And there are now two online petitions you can sign:
http://www.petitiononline.com/tsunmai7/petition.html
http://www.petitiononline.com/endhate/petition.html
And here is how my life went down after reading that message:
1) Jaw hit floor.
2) Pick up jaw.
3) Go to Hot 97 with cyber bat in hand.
4) Read punk-ass apology on their home page.
5) Wonder how long it will take before people forget this shit and get hungry for Miss Jones and her gossip junk again.
6) Cry a little on the inside.
Damn. I really don’t know what to say. WOW! And people wonder why the U.S. is hated so much.
1)I don't really kick puppies. I just think talking about kicking them can be funny. Yes, I know, I have problems.....it's a Buffalo thing.
2)It's funny that you mention Starbucks. I worked on several campaigns with the Organic Consumers Association, protesting Starbucks. I think that the issue of Fair Trade Coffee is really just the tip of the iceberg. Starbucks, in addition to refusing to not use genetically modified coffee, also uses milk full of recombinant bovine growth hormone. The FDA tested r-BGH but refused to release the findings, saying that it would "do irreparable damage to Monsanto (the corporation that makes it...also made agent orange...the ultimate embodiment of the "evil corporation." r-BGH increases the amount of pus and antibiotics in milk, since it causes infections and antibiotics are then given to the cows to prevent them, which are then passed on to you....the consumer (free of charge!!!)
I also wanted to mention that the availability of soy milk at Starbucks is a fairly recent development, and was one of the major victories of the OCA's campaign against Starbucks.
Frankly, Starbucks is really just a typical U.S. corporation, in that they are willing to make a buck insofar as our government is willing to ignore the health and the well-being of the public. Corporations are treated as clients, rather than self-interested entities that need to be regulated in order to ensure the safety of the consumer public.
It is rather arbitrary to pick Starbucks to protest for these reasons, but they are a high profile, and quickly growing corporation. If you can get them to make changes, others will follow suit.
As far as calling someone's character into question for not doing enough, I think that every socially conscious individual faces that dilemma. I used to devote a great deal of my time to environmental activism. Now I spend much more time (in light of the work that I do) working with the homeless, drug-addicted, and mentally ill (and not just poets either). As much as I'd like to do more, there's just not enough time in the day to do every little thing I'd like to do (I'd list everything, but I'm sure you get the point). You have to pick your battles, and as long as you're fighting for something that actually stands to benefit the welfare of the average person, I see nothing wrong with it....even though it, admittedly, can be irritating when someone gets all holier-than-thou simply because they don't buy coffee at Starbucks. I think that you have to look at each individual and judge for yourself how sincere they are in doing what they do, and factor that into your evaluation of how valid their points might be--and beyond that, how long you're willing to indulge the activist tendency to drone on long after the intended point has already been made.
I could go on writing indefinitely (I have my own tendencies), but this is probably time I could be spending making a difference in the world. See what I mean. Ya just gotta give yourself certain allowances. Otherwise you feel guilty for everything, and I speak from experience when I say that it's not a great place to inhabit.
Love to love ya, and sorry for rambling. Can't wait till ya get back to NYC. I'll do my best to hold it down in the meantime....MCS
damn matthew...
love the starbucks info -- thank god the soya was a good twist, eh?
also, thanks for the rambling... it was read with much vigor. seriously.
but, in no way am i suggesting if you aren't an activist you sux azz. i am suggesting that if your platform is all about social issues that surround coffee rather than homelessness or child protection servicves or sex workers issues, or even HIV prevention and protection -- there is a bigger problem. its funny, the average person i speak to have issues with the coffee conglomerate don't support them and don't argue with you for doing so. i run into more poets who sit on a pedastal and tell me about all the ill will (while none of them had as much information as you just offered) of the corporation - but they still smoke, drink and have unprotected sex. they also seem to find the time to talk about it in their poetry but not in their lives. i call these people tuesday nite revolutionaries - no action until they are at a slam or open mic.
and i had to learn to differentiate the political poet (a person who cites the problems of our community to awake the masses) and a revolutionary poet (a person that is actively in the trenches using their poetry as an additional outlet for change).
rambler or not -- that was kewl as hell... thanks for the lesson...anybody else i should know about??
Post a Comment