Anarchist Graffiti

Video Exclusive: Interview With Actor Terry Crews for "The Expendables 2"

2012-08-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a while. But here is my debut on BET.com, interviewing actor Terry Crews on his latest role in The Expendables 2.

A Venture into Video

2012-04-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a video segment I helped produce for BET.com featuring Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell and new comer Leah Labelle. I'm rarely impressed with new singers, but Labelle has a little something...

Reflecting on Heavy D

2011-11-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

The overweight lover gave hip hop’s edge a heart.

From BET.com

With the death of rap icon, Heavy D, hip hop lost a trailblazer who defied what folks expected of the genre and its superstars. Being hip hop’s first corpulent solo rap superstar, Heavy (born Dwight Myer) had talent that equally matched the novelty of his size, enough to help launch Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records in 1986 with the release of Heavy D & The Boyz’s debut hit single “Mr. Big Stuff.”

But also driving Heavy’s success was his ability to maintain a fun, clean-cut respectability that garnered respect from both hardcore hip hop fans and grandmothers alike. It was that universality in his music and image that allowed him to cross his talents over to film and television. After writing (and performing) the theme song for the ground-breaking sketch comedy series In Living Color, Heavy—like many rappers in the early ‘90s—parlayed his hip hop stardom into acting roles on the small and big screen. His first major role coming when he was cast as a regular on the hit TV series Roc.

Yet, most notably, for those paying attention in 1993, Heavy would also play a pivotal role in the continuum of overweight rap superstars changing the face of hip hop when his LP Blue Funk debuted an up-and-coming Notorious B.I.G. (the song “A Buncha N***as”).

Which of Heavy D’s hip hop contributions do you remember most?

10 Reasons "Real Husbands of Hollywood" Should be a Real Sow

2011-06-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Could this spoof be the next big TV comedy?

From BET.com
Hands down, one of the star moments from the 2011 BET Awards was the reality show spoof Real House Husbands of Hollywood. Bringing together Bobby Brown, Kevin Hart, Jermaine Dupri, Nick Cannon and Nelly, the clips were a hilarious twist on the Real Housewives series, briefly poking fun at the turbulent personas of celebrities. Since the send-up has gone viral, folks may be looking for Real House Husbands to become its own series. Here are some reasons why a permanent show should be considered...

10. Because we prefer to laugh at a slightly scripted version of Bobby Brown’s insanity as opposed to his real-life craziness.

9. Because Tammy’s talent for acting the crazy, confrontational cast member would work better here than being one on any episode of Basketball Wives.

8. Because Nick Cannon’s willingness to poke fun at his married life—apart from being extremely brave—was one of funniest aspects of the show.

7. Because we want Jermaine Dupri to be just as brave about making fun of his former relationship with Janet Jackson.

6. Because Mariah Carey could make a special guest appearance.

5. Because every season the show could rotate cast members. Just think of a season with Mike Tyson, Eric Benet, Kevin Federline, Katt Williams and DMX.

4. Because we’d rather watch a spoof of a juicy reality series than another insipid, exploitative reality show with Black folks displaying the worst behavior.

3. Because this is the perfect vehicle for a Nelly comeback.

2. Because this will help us finally forgive Kevin Hart for starring in Soul Plane.

1. Because, point blank, it could be the genius black TV comedy we’ve been looking for since the cancellation of Everybody Hates Chris.

Bristol Palin’s Blowing Up for the Sistas Who Can’t

2011-05-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Fame for being a teen mom is a far cry from what it used to be.

From BET.com
By Marcus Reeves

This past Monday, it was reported that Bristol Palin will follow up her Dancing With the Stars run with a Bio Channel docu-series—basically, a reality show—following the single mom on her move from Alaska to Los Angeles with her son, Tripp, to work at a small charity in need.

She’ll be living with her DWTS co-star actor Kyle Massey and his brother Chris, which is the selling point (can you say reality TV Three’s Company?). But the idea that Bristol Palin is being rewarded the Hollywood spotlight merely because she was a high-profile teen mom can make America’s social universe seem off-kilter, if not downright twisted.

During the teen pregnancy explosion of the '80s, Black and Latina teenage moms received a major TV spotlight of their own, though it was mostly news items or conservative political speeches skewering them as the face of this epidemic. Loose morals. No regards for their future. Ronald Reagan, during an early, unsuccessful run for president, argued that they were a drain on the economy, labeling them “welfare queens.”

But that was before the fracturing of the TV landscape, the rise of cable/the Internet/reality TV, the mainstreaming of Black urban culture and the detonation of celebrity. Now we’re in a world where fame is an occupation and dysfunction is functional—especially for TV ratings. But since we still live in a country where right race plus right place equals stardom and money, having a problem that used to be solely (and negatively) associated with Black and brown girls can prove lucrative. Let’s not even begin to talk about reality shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom turning white teen moms into stars. And now Bristol Palin gets a TV series…

Then again, I’d like to think of Bristol as having a bigger mission within her reach for celebrity and money, besides getting her baby some Pampers and Similac. And that’s to take the former curse of being a teen mom and blow it up into a huge social ladder for young girls caught in that situation to climb. If not for them, then for the sisters back in the day who were socially and financially bruised by a lost moment as a teen. It’s a thought, of course. Hell, we can all dream…

The Death of the Black Child TV Star

2011-05-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Are the glory days of this adorable archetype long gone?

From BET.com
By Marcus Reeves

As the anniversary of Gary Colemen’s (May 28) tragic death quickly approaches, folks old enough to remember are reminded of how his passing marked the end of an era. More so, the end of an archetype—the Black child TV star. I’m talking about those kid stars whose onscreen celebrity exploded beyond age, race and the boob tube to create a supernova that could forge a Black media presence as an unprecedented phenomenon as well as a tragic Hollywood burn-out.

We were introduced to the pioneers of this elite group via ‘70s repeats of the Our Gang short film series on television. Allen “Farina” Hoskins—the first Black child screen star—may have appeared the typical pickaninny with his ratty clothing and signature pigtail braids. But Hoskins’ increasing popularity in the ‘20s didn’t just reportedly earn him more pay than his white co-stars but the clout to evolve Farina into an on-screen leader of his crew. Ditto for Hoskins’ replacement, Matthew Beard, whose slick-tongued, con artist character “Stymie” earned him such star-power for his comedic ability, Stan Laurel (half of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team) presented him with the gift of a derby—the highly-regarded crown of a good comedian.

The resurfacing of Hoskins’ and Beard in the ‘70s, via TV, was the perfect accompaniment to the rise of the Black child TV star. Rodney Allen Rippy, with his adorable cheeks and manicured afro, kicked the party off, becoming a pop culture superstar after appearing in a commercial for the Jack in the Box fast food chain. Rippy’s TV appeal—and appearances—opened America’s living rooms to the ‘70s B.K.W.A. (Black Kids With Attitude), including Ralph Carter’s midget militancy (and, later, Janet Jackson’s Mae West-impressions) on Good Times. Though it was one of the show’s guest stars, Gary Coleman, who marked the high point of the Black child star on television.

Playing the lovably smart-mouthed Arnold Jackson on Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman became the kid America—young and old—couldn’t get enough of. With TV movies, a Saturday morning cartoon, merchandising and not to mention that iconic phrase (“Wut’chu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?”), Coleman created the Black child TV star industry, opening doors for the popularity of the Cosby kids, Raven-Symoné and, the last of the major Black child TV stars, Jaleel White (a.k.a. Steve Urkel).

Although this archetype has completely disappeared off network TV in the 21st century, there are remnants of them on cable, translating fame in a niche market—primarily among kids—into power and wealth. But can their stars ever shoot into a galaxy beyond? Don’t bet on it.

10 Reasons We Are Tired of Charlie Sheen

2011-04-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a countdown I did for BET.com. Oh, and please make a choice in my poll in the right column.

With reports of Charlie Sheen’s recent recording session with Snoop and his upcoming TV appearances, the media’s fascination with the actor clearly isn’t over. But his love affair with the public may be, as indicated by his difficulty at completely selling out his upcoming tour. Here are some reasons why he may be losing his, uh, sheen with us.

10. Because after being bombarded by Charlie Sheen–mania, we just simply can’t stand no more! And, really, did we need THAT much coverage?

9. Because we realize that while Sheen’s firing from Two and a Half Men may hurt the series, the show is in its last days anyway. Besides, is it a top show in Black households?

8. Because we’re no longer laughing at witty uses of Sheen terms like “tiger’s blood” or “Adonis DNA.” Jokes or comments making use of those terms are now D.O.A.

7. Because we don’t want to buy tickets for his My Violent Torpedo of Truth tour. Actually, we saw the best of the Sheen circus via the news/Web anyway. We don’t need the Cirque Du Soleil version.

6. Because yelling the catchphrase “Winning!” has grown beyond tired. File it next to Martin Lawrence’s “You go, girl!” and Jimmie “J.J.” Walker’s “Dyn-o-mite!”

5. Because at the end of the day, we realize the Charlie Sheen debacle is just a fight among the wealthy. Unlike us, these folks are dealing with no parts of recovering from a recession.

4. Because while we enjoyed the distraction, it’s time to get back to reality. Enough said.

3. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. Reality numbero uno (not to mention news-worthy problems in America and around the world).

2. Because recording a song with Snoop is a sheer sign of desperation. And we know Snoop was too nice (literally and figuratively) to decline the offer.

1. Because we ultimately realized that warlocks should just say NO … to drugs. And you should, too.

Is Tyler Perry Really Making TV History?

2011-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

A question of quality or quantity.

Recently, Tyler Perry sent a message to his fans via his Website in part trumpeting the monumental success of his TV show House of Payne. The show had just celebrated its 210^th episode, a feat the movie/TV mogul was eager to file in the annals of black TV history.

“Let me just put this in perspective for you,” Perry wrote. “House of Payne has done more episodes than Good Times, more episodes than Sanford and Son, and even more episodes than The Cosby Show. The Jeffersons is the only show of this genre to have more episodes. Ella and Curtis are running a close second to George and Weezie. ”

Only, within this celebratory note about numbers was Perry’s lack of an in-depth mention about any creative value he feels his series has. Maybe a thought on the show’s connection to its audience or what his characters mean to loyal viewers. (A difficult question to ask or answer considering there are no Black shows on network TV and—excluding salacious reality shows—only a half-handful on cable.). But it’s an important thought given Perry’s eagerness to think of his series in the context of iconic Black sitcoms.

In comparison, consider the ground these shows broke when they aired. Sanford and Son turned a crotchety junk dealer and his son into the biggest Black TV sitcom duo since the cancellation of The Amos ‘n Andy Show. Good Times transformed the impoverished Evans family into America’s ghetto storytellers and cultural tour guides. The Jeffersons were America’s first beloved upper middleclass Black family before The Cosby Show turned Bill Cosby into America’s dad.

While House of Payne has a viewership of 1.2 million, the series has yet to establish what its footprint will mean in the pantheon of TV history. Given the show hasn’t made the cultural impact of a cable smash like The Sopranos or a network hit like, say, Martin its hard to gauge what will be the show’s legacy.

So the question that has to be asked is: Although Perry’s TV acumen produces sizable numbers and historic business deals, will he produce something on the small screen that reaches beyond the fact that he did it, did it big and, mainly because of that fact, it’s great.

Cleveland, Texas and Gender Jim Crow

2011-03-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

By William Jelani Cobb

In the three weeks since the New York Times broke the story of a child’s rape there, the events in Cleveland, Texas, have morphed into a category-five media storm. The Times piece, which echoed and amplified currents of victim-blaming in the town, generated a tide of criticism. Yet beneath the outrage was a parable of modern media. Aside from the familiar and incendiary themes it contained, the Times article seemed an object lesson in what happens when cash-strapped newspapers parachute a reporter into a complex situation hoping for coverage on the cheap. In-depth coverage requires resources and the time to do the deliberate, painstaking gathering of facts that were in short supply in James McKinley’s article. “The New York Times,” as one friend put it, “can no longer afford nuance.”

Add to that equation the fact that Twitter-orchestrated protests, web petitions and Facebook posts pushed the Times to apologize (or at least come close to it), and our understanding of the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl becomes yet another front in the battles between old and new media. Even the way the assault became public knowledge—digital images traded around on cellphones—seems to be part of the narrative of modern technology and information.

Yet for all this modernity, the most troubling aspect of the ongoing fallout from Cleveland is the way it resurrects themes of race, sexual violence and provincialism long interred in American history. Some weeks ago I taught students in my civil rights history class about the plague of lynching, which claimed the lives of more than 3,000 African-Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beyond the horror of the organized murder of black citizens, students were most troubled by the recreational nature of it all: the images of smiling white citizens, fathers and sons, upstanding Christians gathered in fellowship around the smoldering ruin of a black body—all preserved on postcards.

If you asked any of these people in the abstract if it is right to hang a person, set him on fire and then riddle the body with bullets, they would likely have called those actions illegal and sinful. But there is an asterisk: unless that person was black; unless he had demanded his wages, or been to slow to vacate a sidewalk when a white person walked by, or been “unpopular” (these are all actual reasons cited for lynching). These are actions of people who have been given a moral escape clause, an asterisk in which upstanding Christians can sate the demonic appetites of their collective id. Thus an act of abomination becomes a moment worthy of commemorating with a photograph.

I thought about that discussion of lynching again as news spread that the alleged perpetrators were so utterly secure in the righteousness of their act that some of them snapped pictures or recorded footage on their cell phones. We have, in 2011, reached a point when the public display of charred human remains is no longer acceptable. But the response of some of the citizens of Cleveland, Texas, to this horrific assault has brought us face to face with a kind of gender Jim Crow. Here the asterisk is not failure to conform to racial etiquette but the lax adherence to an equally stringent gender code, one where “innocent” is a relative concept and rape, like lynching, can be elevated nearly to the level of civic responsibility.

The rape, which allegedly took place in a filthy trailer, has been mitigated by qualifiers on the child’s innocence—and necessarily, the guilt of the accused. It is, as an abstract idea, wrong to force a preteen child to have sex with a dozen and a half men. Unless she was “fast,” or dressed like a much older woman, or had slack maternal supervision. Add enough exceptions and even the unconscionable begins to look like a six-in-one-hand undertaking. It is the bitterest of ironies that African-Americans in Cleveland have been the most vocal proponents of this warped ideal. We of all people should understand how the moral exception game works. (For those who believe the fact that the girl is Hispanic has colored the responses to the crime, rest assured, “fast” 11-year-old black girls are seen as every bit as disposable within the black community.)

Read the entire essay @ THE NATION

Bun B Brings 'Scream' to Rice U.

2011-01-24T03:07:00.000-08:00

Just got word from a colleague that Texas rap artist Bun B is co-teaching a "Religion & Hip Hop" course at Rice University. Best of all, Somebody Scream is one of the text used to teach the class. As always, am surprised and flattered at the inclusion. Below is a pic of all the required books included—in great company. A happy new year, indeed...

Jay-Z with Jon Stewart

2010-11-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

I've so wished for an intelligent mainstream discussion on rap. Saw Jay's first interview with Bill Maher on "Real Time" a year ago but he seemed guarded and less prepared for a serious socio-cultural discussion. Wasn't thrilled with the recent NYC Library discussion either. But on this "Daily Show" interview Jay had the discussion I wanted to hear, with humor of course. Then again, Jon Stewart gets the heart of the what needs to be discussed.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Jay-Z Extended Interview

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Rally to Restore Sanity

Anarchist Theatre: Parliament's "Flashlight" Live

2010-11-16T18:14:00.001-08:00

As a kid in the late 70s, hearing about the myth-making legend of P-Funk from older dudes on my block, I often imaged the power and image of the Funk Mob. Remembering those times of childhood, I thought I'd post this head-kicking performance of "Flashlight" because it best caught what I saw in my head in '78 (old enough to hear the record, but too young to attend a show). Enjoy! And R.I.P. Garry Shider and Glen Goins.

Kanye West Still Rocks George W. Bush's World

2010-11-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Mentioned this in the last chapter of Scream. I thought it a fleeting moment of audacious hip hop loud mouthness. But apparently, from this excerpt of an upcoming interview with Matt Lauer, Kanye's comment still sticks with the former president...

MATT LAUER: You remember what he said?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I do. He called me a racist.

MATT LAUER: Well, what he said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: That's -- "he's a racist." And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, "I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business." It's another thing to say, "This man's a r

acist." I resent it, it's not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency

MATT LAUER: This from the book. "Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust." You go on. "I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all time low."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt 'em when I heard 'em, felt 'em when I wrote 'em and I felt 'em when I'm listening to 'em.

MATT LAUER: You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And-- it was a disgusting moment.

Is Justin Bieber Really the Digital Michael Jackson… in 3D?

2010-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

No, I have not lost my mind and joined Biebermania or caught the fever. As someone who’s experienced pop gods like King Michael or Run-DMC rock the world, I too rolled my eyes at the Star Trek-like teleportation of the Canadian teen to Planet Pop. The voice and dancing were eh, and, well, I’m a little long gone for his demographic. (Though, admittedly, I found it fascinating to watch Usher instantly boost his protégé’s R&B street cred through appearances in videos and at performances.) But, as someone who’s written about music and how it reflects change in society, I felt myself having to give Camp Bieber serious consideration, dare I say respect. Especially upon the news about Justin’s upcoming 3-D bio documentary Never Say Never which is scheduled for release in February 2011.

Not that quickly produced biopics of whites-rockin-black-music phenoms are anything new (check Eminem’s 8 Mile or, hell, the Beatles mockumentary Hard Days Night). Aside from 3-Ding the teen pop king’s short, multi-platinum, heavily-video taped life, there’s not much to ooh about… Except when you consider the road Bieber took to the big screen. Yeah, I’m talking about the Internet. Numerous profiles and articles discussed his arrival via the Web, a great cyber spin on a Horatio Alger-style voyage to pop music mega-stardom. But two years into this kid’s career—millions of records (via downloads) sold, hundreds of millions of views on Youtube, the hysteria that’s been established, and now a film that many are predicting will beat Michael Jackson’s This is It at the box office—and we’re looking at someone who’s shifted the paradigm. A pop music superstar totally produced by the digital age. Bieber’s arrival is a sound metaphor for what the Internet offers—a world of instant. (Sean Kingston and Tila Tequila pioneered this but their light faded along with the Myspace wave they surfed in on).

Now, I’m the first to acknowledge that Justin Bieber’s R&B pop explosion is a matter of right race + black style equals world domination. Yet, when comparing his road to the music charts with Beyoncé, who took the Jackson route, or Lady Gaga who, after years of work, finally broke out using Madonna’s rulebook, or any number of Disney kids, you have to acknowledge Camp Bieber’s—mom, Justin and manager Scooter Braun— ingenuity at light-speed marketing and branding with technology. Since the dawn of MP3s and viral video, folks had been looking to break the traditional means of building a fan base, stardom, a record deal and solid celebrity… And they figured it out. Camp Beiber, with a click, bypassed grueling showcases, the mammoth House of Mickey Mouse, and the grinding Joe Jackson model for building teen idol-dom to make it Justin’s world… In the process officiating Youtube’s power as the new MTV (circa 1983).

Of course Bieber is no Michael Jackson. Yet his affirmation of the Web video as pop idol maker is as game-changing as Mike’s development of music video theatrics. In fact, all one has to do is look up the current hordes of music artists using innovative ways—some even acknowledging their Post-Bieber inspiration—to go viral and into the pop stratosphere. (Shoot, have you checked out the rock band playing instruments on their iPhones aboard an NYC subway train.) But while there’s still a chance that Justin could fade from the charts (highly doubtable) as quick as a teen’s thumb can text, his rise to fame from a computer screen will no doubt be the thriller of this brave new world.

Juan Williams and a Nuevo World of Ethics

2010-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Like all controversy traveling at the speed of digital media, the Juan Williams comment-n-firing brouhaha raised a host of issues for in-depth discussion. Bigotry. Bigotry as consensus (many folks—both liberal and conservative—concurred with William’s fear). And, of course, censorship. But the hottest topic surrounding the Williams’s firing and the reason behind it is the question (or the new question) of ethics.

Following Willams’s appearance on The O’Reilly Factor, where he admitted his fear of flying with folks dressed in Islamic garb, NRP terminated his contract sighting he’d violated the organization’s code of ethics. The main rule he was guilty of breaking reads: “In appearing on TV or other media, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as journalists on NPR's programs. They should not participate in shows that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.” That a number of NPR reporters—from Michel Martin to Mara Liasson—regularly appear on TV news and talk shows as pundits isn’t the point. The fact that a 20^th Century journalism rulebook is being used as a guide for 21^st Century journalists is. (A point well made by L.A. Times reporter James Rainey in this interview on Southern California Public Radio.)

In the brutal competition among news organizations—print, TV and digital—for eyeballs and promotion, with punditry reigning on liberal and conservative news shows (not to mention the heat from the blogoshpere), journalists expressing their views is the new currency. Moreover, for not-so-mainstream or massive news companies like NPR and Politico.com and The Nation or any number of newspapers like The New York Times or Washington Post, TV appearances and punditry works as marketing and promotion. A point Rainey makes in his Public Radio interview when he says:

We all have these ethics codes and we try to abide by them…But at the same time, at NPR or the L.A. Times, when we have people go onto other media… the organization gets a little extra buzz. Maybe they get some extra reader or viewership out of these appearances.

So therein lies the dilemma for news outlets: what new rules to set for views expressed, especially when you benefit from them. After all, Juan Williams’s comment, when compared to Rick Sanchez’s anti-Semitic tirade (that got him fired from CNN), were as closed to “fair and balanced” as any bigoted statement—and on Fox!—can come. Then again, with Juan Williams gaining that $2 million contract with Fox News it will be interesting to see how the world of journalism faces this obvious reality (and power) of an honest opinion.

Shirley Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed

2010-10-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Far too much light is not given to this woman who opened the door for President Obama (and Jesse and Alan Keyes and Al Sharpton and...)

Watch Shirley Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed in Politics | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Anarchist Theatre: "Baldwin's Nigger"

2010-10-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

'Acting white my ass': Beyond the myths of Black student underperformance

2010-08-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

by Mark Anthony Neal

As a kid growing up in the Bronx, my friends often said that I sounded white—too much Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family in my daily re-run consumption. I have visceral memories of being outed one day for being a fan of 1970s teen-pop idol Andy Gibb—“you listen to that shit?"
I never took such chiding seriously cataloging it with the range of ways that young boys insult each other over the size of their ears and purported lack of size of their sexual organs, as we all tried to manage out outsized egos. As a parent thirty years later, I would have no more imagined a cottage industry on the negative impact of “your momma” jokes, than I would a series of books and news reports on the subject of “acting white” yet this is what is the case as books like the recent Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation by Stuart Buck attempt to explain the reason for what is a very real achievement gap between black students and their peers.

For all unfamiliar with the conversation, the “acting white” thesis, first forwarded by researchers John Ogbu and Signithia Fordham in a 1986, suggests that black students underperform academically in comparison to their white peers, because of fears of being labeled as “acting white” by their dominant peer group of black students. In other words, some black kids get bad grades for continued acceptance in the peer group that matters most to them. Most of the studies that buy into Ogbu and Fordham’s thesis also argue that this is a phenomenon largely relegated to integrated schools.

Putting aside the legitimacy of the “acting white” thesis for a moment, Buck is correct when he suggests that the thesis is controversial, “because of the fear that it lets us off the hook too easily—that suburban whites will, perhaps, regretfully, write off the urban black population as uneducable."

Realizing that effective public policy has never emanated from white guilt, even for a white researcher who has adopted two black children, the “acting white” thesis has been actively used in recent years to demean black intellectual capabilities, pathologize black families and culture and used to turn back the clock on diversity in public schools, as is the case currently in Wake County, N.C. Buck also suggests, citing a study by Harvard University economist Roland Fryer (the Ivy League’s version of the “magic Negro”), that “smart black students are less popular with peers” as if we don’t live in a society that fundamentally distrusts intellectuals and is actively anti-intellectual.

Read the entire essay @ The Loop21

Rockin' Online at WNYC Radio

2010-08-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an interview I did with WNYC radio's Abbie Fentress Swanson discussing why the Bronx was such a special place to give birth to hip hop. You can also read the piece at WNYC.com.

In Celebration of House Dance

2010-08-02T03:30:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a video posted by house dance legend Voodoo Ray (of him and a few of the old heads turning the Japanese on to the physical expression of house), I thought I'd return to the blogosphere with a reprint/post of a story I wrote four years ago on this unsung dance style for New York Press. While it's primary focus is the first Annual International House Dance Festival, it's one of the rare pieces on a scene—and its history— that gets overlooked by the media. And, as an old club head myself—The Choice, Zanzibar, etc.— I wanted to represent in print.

Celebrating an Unsung Body Revolution

by Marcus Reeves

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Thirty years after developing in underground NYC dance clubs like the Loft, the body revolution known as house dance is finally getting an aboveground celebration. This week marks the first House Dance Festival, which honors the dance style with a film screening, workshops, a dance contest and, of course, a huge party for house music enthusiasts. “We thought the artform needed to get wider recognition,” explains Kim “Red” Hayes, a member of House Dance International (HDI), the organization sponsoring the event. “We wanted to finally bring together key individuals and groups that helped create and develop house dance culture.”

Like the disco-era from which it sprang, house dance is a freeform combination of movements melding ballet, modern, tap, capoeira, salsa and, with the early 1990s infusion of breakdance moves, a touch of hip-hop. The dance never benefited from massive commercial exposure like its Bronx cousin, but gained momentum—and further evolution—with the popularity of NYC house music culture amongst the hip-hop generation in late ’80s and early ’90s. The most notable symbol of this union was the trendy and fleeting hip-hop music offshoot, hip-house.

Globally, the various styles of house dance were spread by exceptional practitioners like Ejoe Wilson, Brian “Footwork” Greene and Caleaf Sellers who’ve danced on tour behind pop music acts like Mariah Carey. While it never became popular enough to advertise products like Fruity Pebbles or Sprite, a quick YouTube of house dance will show you folks as far away as Taiwan executing the dance as deftly as their New York brethren. “New York has it own scene,” explains Hayes. “And so many places have their own scenes. We just want to bring that together so we can acknowledge what a large community we are and recognize the impact we’ve had.”

Appropriately, the festival will open with a premiere of Sally Somner’s documentary, Check Your Body at the Door, about the history of house dancing. On July 13, HDI holds preliminary dance competition rounds to choose finalists for the July 14 competition. For those looking to learn the house dance style or brush up on their technique, workshops will be held at Alvin Alley Dance Studios. Afterwards, the finals of the festival’s dance contest will take place at Club Shelter followed by an afterparty (but, of course).

On the Anniversary of President Obama's Win

2009-11-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

SNL delivers a hefty chuckle moment (a rare instance these days...Ha!) with this send-up of Fox News assessment of Obama's year in the White House. While we're all waiting for the Health Care Plan to hopefully pass the Senate, we can all have a laugh in between time.

Why Jay-Z Defies Ageism in Hip-Hop Music

2009-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

The buzz and controversy surrounding Jay-Z’s single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) ” this past summer, while putting the 39-year-year MC in the position of wrathful daddy against a new generation of rap artists—some reliant upon the voice gadget for relevance and sales—once again broached the issue of ageism within hip-hop music. Whether it was the Game’s swipe at the rap mega-star, leading European audiences in anti-Jay-Z chants of “Old a-- n-----!” Or T-Pain’s tirade against Jigga on stage at a Las Vegas nightclub (“Jay-Z is 59 years old. I don't think he has the right to say what's good and what's not…”). The expiration date on a rap star’s career, particularly Jay’s, was the hot topic of blogs and barbershops. But unlike many a rap star who hit the age/time limits of the genre and slowly fade into history, Jay-Z continues to defy the rules of the aged rapper. Sitting atop the Billboard 200 for the past 3 weeks, headlining the much-lauded 9/11 benefit at Madison Square Garden, and interviews with Oprah and Bill Maher are undeniable proof that Jay’s iconic stature continues to expand where, under different circumstances, it would recede. How has he managed to stave off irrelevance while turning 40. What the heck does Jay have, besides money, that still makes him an exciting part of the genre. I’ve been waiting for someone to give some definite reasons, but since none have materialized I thought I’d give it a shot.

5). Duh. Jay-Z Has Mastered the Art of Satisfying both Hardcore Fans and the Mainstream.

I know. I know. That's a given. That’s why this one is last. But there have been his missteps in trying to adapt to a changing hip-hop landscape (most noted has always been the video for “Sunshine”). But for the most part, Hov has been a master at making music that walks the fine line between hardcore and pop. (An easy task when considering that hardcore and gangsta has been pop for over a decade.) Not to mention that having marketing tools like radio, magazines and MT…oh, hell, let’s just say Viacom, in your pocket helps as well.

4). Growing His Image as a Corporate Player Has Been A Major Part of Building his Longevity.

Unlike, say, Master P, who built the bulk of his pop image as a mogul who played the industry (celebrity that faded with the fall of P’s No Limit label) Jay-Z used his growing corporate power as a way to void his expiration date. First he was the hot rapper. Then he was the hottest rapper. Next, he was the hottest rapper and co-owner of the freshest label and clothing/sneaker line. Finally, he retires (kicking that off with a platinum disc), ditches his label to head Def Jam and remains an industry player, signing the next generation of rap and pop music icons. During the two year hiatus he gets even more mainstream press and buzz from the street and…you get where this is going. In being the former drug dealer who maneuvered his way into the boardroom to become legit plays into Jay’s allure and mystique, an image that titillates both Hollywood and corner folk.

3). The Rap Industry Still Follows the Book of Hova.

Where Jay was birthed by the architects of rap’s golden era—artists like Rakim, Kane and KRS, the current school of hip popper was inspired by rap’s golden age of money (1998-2000), which was heavily shaped by Jay-Z (helped, in part. by the departure of Biggie). Whether it’s Lil Wayne or Young Jeezy or Souljah Boy or any upstart looking to be the next rap street messiah, Hova ‘s “blueprint” for building and sustaining a loyal fan base has been (and is still being) borrowed.

2). Miraculously, He Maintains a Certain Power to Dictate What is (and What's Not) Cool.

Not long ago, we can remember Jay-Z influencing rap’s laundry list for the materialistic, injecting dreams of “ice” (and all the cold descriptions for diamonds) and Bentleys. Or, better yet, how Hov shut down the throwback jersey craze with the line, “I don't wear jerseys, I'm thirty plus. Give me a crisp pair of jeans, nigga button up.” Well, given the uproar over “D.O.A.” and the challenges from younger artists defending their use of Auto Tunes, shows Jay still has the power to quickly upend the status quo. Besides, he has the money, influence and word-skill that none of the young’uns can match, which brings us to the top reason Jay defies ageism.

1). With the Dumbing-Down of Rap, Jay-Z Maybe Old but His Style Ain’t.

Used to be when a rapper was tagged “old” or washed up, folks were referring to the MC’s rhyme style and beats. Eventually, said rhymer was eclipsed by a young punk with innovation in her/his rhythmic poetry. Much the way Kool Mo Dee ‘s word-centered style ushered in the bygone days of crowd-focused MCs like Busy Bee. Or Run-DMC’s hardcore minimalism erased the era of Bronx pioneers like the Furious 5. Or N.W.A’s gut-busting realism took the shine from the pioneers of rap’s golden era. Being dethroned meant your style was obsolete. But the genre no longer spins on an axis of creativity and style….and Jay-Z knows this, man. So it’s easy for him not only to uphold his status as the “Greatest Rapper Alive” (though President Obama maybe taking his spot…), but to write pop lyrics… or spank any upstart who wants to battle him, but has nothing in his arsenal other than the insult that Jay-Z is old.

If you disagree or have other reasons, speak your piece…

Blog Theatre: Maestro—Larry Levan & Early DJ Culture

2009-09-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

While fiending for new soulful house music and club tunes I haven't heard in years, I came across this documentary, a thorough and entertaining dissection of disco/club's foundation on the dance floor and on wax. Being the former Zanzibar and Choice head that I am, I had to throw this up for the faithful, old and new. I will post in parts. Here's the first four. So if you have time to watch, click on and enjoy!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Throwing Brick City: A Conversation With Newark, NJ City Council Candidate Ras Baraka

2009-09-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ras Baraka was not among the figures dubbed the “new black political leadership” by pundits last year. But, to some, he could be considered a precursor. Well over a decade before Obama electrified the American presidency with black youthfulness or Adrian M. Fenty became Washington DC’s youngest mayor, Baraka gave Newark, NJ’s 1994 mayor race a youthful shot when he announced his candidacy at age 24. Although he lost to incumbent Sharpe James, Ras’s gumption, progressive platform and persuasion (winning close to 10,000 votes) clearly announced that a post-civil rights generation of politicians were on their way to the forefront. Like many in the late 1980’s, the poet, writer and community activist had been politicized by rap music’s pro-black conversion. (And he just happened to be the son of poet and Black Arts Movement leader Amiri Baraka.) Since his inspirational run for office, Ras, who his the principal of Newark’s Central High School, has served as deputy mayor and ran unsuccessfully for councilman-at-large. Recently, he has set his sights on Newark’s South Ward council seat, which he plans to run for next year. I sat down with Ras to talk about Newark politics, the city’s rising murder rate, his platform for tackling crime and the current mayor’s handling of violence in the city.

Activists who run for office can be naïve about the rough sport of city politics. What have you learned over the last 15 years about running for office?
Ras Baraka: Well, there’s the amount of money needed to run a campaign. The amount of concern people may have that you may not be familiar with. Like sometimes, as activists, we may think we know what the people are concerned with, but we don’t have the kind of relationship with the people in that community we need in order to be clear on what their concerns are. That’s because we don’t go to the PTA meetings, the block association meetings, the city council meetings. When you’re running for office and you go those meetings you begin to understand the real issues people deal with every day. Then you have to tie those into the bigger issues that you want to talk about as an activist. But you can’t reach the people until you go where they are.

You ran for Mayor in Newark in 1994. Then you ran a couple of times for Councilman-at-Large. Was refocusing your sights apart of that learning process?
Yeah. I ran for mayor because we had some concerns and issues we wanted to raise on the ballot. It was more like an activist trying to agitate and get the word out, organize the people around something they thought couldn’t be done. When I ran for council, it was about a more pragmatic approach of us trying to really win a seat, mapping out how we could do it and get a real voice in city hall to begin to organize the resources in the city to do the things that we needed to do in the community. So we really tried to win those times. And each time we actually came close. We’d win in the general election and lose in the run-off.

Now you’re running for South Ward Council in 2010. What power would you have as a councilman?
The council body is a legislative body just like the Congress is, but on a local level. And any political office can be used as a bully pulpit to represent the people’s issues and concerns on a political level. This is so you can broker resources for some kind of power for your district or your ward. It’s what any member of Congress or the Senate would do.

One of the issues you want to deal with is crime. Over the summer there’s been a rash of murders hitting the city, and the news seems to point to gang activity. As an activist would you say most of the murders in Newark have been gang-related?
No. Some of it is gang-related and some it is not. It’s about problems and other issues. I mean, a lady was shot and killed on Elizabeth Avenue and Meeker because two dudes were having an argument and one came back with a gun, started shooting and she happened to come down stairs at the wrong time. Our people have conflicts and other issues, and they resolve them with guns.

Usually the political answer for crime is more police and prisons…
And now there’s curfews and cameras (laughs) which is a completely ridiculous response. And it’s bankrupt because now people in Newark are getting killed in the afternoon. So the curfews are worthless. Just recently, a guy was killed in broad daylight, stabbed to death in downtown Newark, with cameras stationed around and before the curfew. So none of that stuff even matters. Using police and prisons as the answer, that sounds good and makes people believe you have some kind of plan. But most of these politicians don’t have a comprehensive plan to deal with crime because the premise of what they believe is the root cause of crime is different. If you believe crime is a result of people being wild and savage then, of course, your response would be cameras and curfews and more law enforcement. But if you understand crime to be the result of a social ailment, a public health issue, then you’ll address it as such. Deal with mental health issues, broken families, unemployment, poor education, drop-out rates, etc. Target it like a doctor would a disease.

Within your campaign platform you say you’d like to do studies on violence and then implement programs to fight the issues of crime. For voters looking for immediate results and a problem that needs immediate attention don’t you think that would be moving too slow?
It may be, but there’s been nobody that’s been able to deal with the crime that’s going on in these communities. Like some people get lucky and they have a good year, and then they take credit for a year of low crime that they really had nothing to with. It’s not deliberate. It’s not conscious. They make it up and they go and say they had something to do with it. But the only people really addressing crime are community activists, people in these neighborhoods trying to deal with folk’s pain. I think once we get it started there will be immediate effects, not long term. People know we need a coordinated solution.

The research and study is there to validate what we’re trying to do. To give an example, the Kerner Commission did a report on why there were rebellions in the neighborhoods. People already knew why there were rebellions, and politicians could have addressed it. But what the Kerner Commission did was validate what you already know and allow you to get the resources and the money to support the things you think should happen. So my commission on violence would do the same thing: identify the causes and the ailments and the problems that exist—that we already know—and prove it scientifically so we can get resources to fix the problem. This will help people to not just look at it as a political move that you make, but look at it as more from a scientific approach to fighting crime.

How do you feel Mayor Cory Booker is handling this summer’s murder streak in Newark?
I think he was completely caught off guard because his diagnosis was wrong from the beginning. He thought crime existed in Newark because the police department was understaffed, the mayor was corrupt and people were incompetent. He didn’t know we had some systemic problems in our communities. That’s because he’s not from these communities. He’s from Harrington Park, NJ. And there’s very serious and very obvious class difference between the mayor and the people of this town. So he’s not clear on why these issues take place. When the crime went down for a short time, he credited that to his ingenuity rather than realize he was just lucky. But when his luck ran out this summer, it exposed the fact that he had no real strategy. So he gets on Twitter and says this won’t happen in our town. Now he’s had about 15 or 20 press conferences saying these things won’t happen. But they keep happening, and he doesn’t know how to address it.

Even though you’re running for Councilman in 2010, do you think you’d like to run for mayor again?
Man, I’m just being the principal of Central High School, and I’m going to run for South Ward Councilman because I think it needs to be done. I think someone needs to have a strong voice in city hall that’s going to oppose the direction in which this city is going. I don’t agree with the direction we’re headed. And I think the only way to address it or expose it is to have a voice down there. That’s the only reason why I’m running. As far as mayor, I’m supporting Clifford Minor, who is a former prosecutor and judge and Newark police officer, in the next mayoral race. Right now my plate is full.

RIP Michael

2009-06-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Still can't believe it. But since we're walking down memory lane, I'm remembering Michael's robot during Dance Machine. Always stopped me in my tracks as a kid. Rest in Peace.