Louder Than A Bomb: Why We Still Need Chuck D's (And Others) Voices - Chris "Preach" Smith

Photo Credit: www.hip-hopvibe.com

This past Saturday, a major hip-hop happening took
place.

No, I’m not referring to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
in New York City or the Total Slaughter Pay-Per-View
battle event. I’m referring to ‘The State of Hip-Hop’
event hosted by Public Enemy’s Chuck D held at the
Muhammad Mosque No.7 in Harlem, New York. In
reading that sentence, you may sit back and say,
‘wait, that went down?’ Yes, it did. But if you didn’t
hear about it, it wasn’t for lack of effort on the behalf
of Chuck D who mentioned it repeatedly via his Twitter
account in the past month. Especially in light of the
media frenzy caused when Rosenberg of HOT97 basically
disrespected Chuck D by calling him a ‘troll’ after Mr.
Chuck slammed the radio station for what took place
at their Summer Jam concert in East Rutherford, New
Jersey. Yet with all of that and a subsequent apology
by Rosenberg a MONTH later, this event didn’t get
much coverage save for a site or two and numerous
retweets spreading the word. Why?

The answer can be found in the complacency of the 
masses. Yes, complacency. Because while people have 
been taking note of Chuck D, Dame Dash and Lord
Jamar of Brand Nubian attacking the state of what can
be considered contemporary rap these days, it doesn’t
seem to inspire others to add their voices to theirs.
To put it plainly, no one wants to minimize their paper
or potential for getting it according to the terms of the
industry and its corporate handlers. Look at what 
Rosenberg actually said in his initial response to Chuck
D’s criticism and you are going to hear and recognize
that it may be the words of someone you know well
trying to rationalize why they bought music from a
crapulent rapper. Or why they will co-sign someone
who is unapologetically garbage in order to look cool
or advance their ‘brand’. It may even be you. Bottom 
line, what Rosenberg said should NEVER have been 
said. But this is how complacency about a pressing
issue affecting the culture allows for that to take place.
And its been on the rise since the late 1990’s.

Photo Credit: www.delux-mag.com

The most important thing to take away from this
recent situation is that we still need voices like that
of Chuck D and others to display our concern and
outrage. And we need MORE voices to add to theirs.
Because as much as we can applaud Dame Dash for
going at Lyor Cohen, his concerns can easily be brushed
aside with arguments of ‘well you made money with
this dude, what’s your problem now?’ People can and
probably will claim that there is a hypocrisy to his 
actions. That’s usually the first step in attempts at
isolating voices in opposition. Even now, Chuck D is
coming under attack for speaking out about a viral
post of Iggy Azalea that was manipulated to show her
using the N-word. He stated implicitly that he was
critical of the usage of the word, yet it was painted
as a ‘broad swipe’. Folks have brought up how he 
sued The Notorious B.I.G. for using his voice in ‘Ten
Crack Commandments’ and how that was settled.
There was nothing hypocritical about that suit then
or now because Chuck D’s intent was to speak out
about his voice being used in a song promoting drug
selling. We may not always agree across all lines with
those who speak out on our behalf. The same could
be said for the Civil Rights Era in this nation. A unified
front doesn’t have to think or act alike.

There are a couple of links between the three events
to take note of however. The first being that Rosenberg
and Ebro were heavily involved in Total Slaughter, which
by all accounts got mixed reactions due to a couple of
lackluster performances and techinical issues that halted
paying customers to see the event via the website or
the app. The battle rap contest pitting battling MCs and
more established MCs deserved better and could improve
next time. The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, in its 10th
year however had enigmatic MC Jay Electronica, who was
one of the more vocal supporters of Chuck D during the
Rosenberg brouhaha begin his set by saying ‘I am hip-hop’
and performing part of the set in Fruit of Islam garb. This
is a symbolic bit of solidarity that speaks heavily. One
can only hope that people don’t let this recent situation
(which took place during Black Music Month of all times)
dwindle and deter them from the reality that we still
need Chuck D and many other voices to be louder than a
bomb if we want systemic change to happen within the
culture. And all it takes is to listen, and to speak. 

One Nation For The Goal: The New Emigrant Discussion In Sports - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Photo credit: Sportschump.net

Earlier this week, the San Antonio Spurs finished off the
two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat in a stifling
five game series. The win secured San Antonio’s place as
a respected dynasty in the league in a significant manner
for a couple of reasons. First, this win gave the Spurs their
fifth title overall. Second, all five titles were attained after
the arrival of their legendary center, Tim Duncan. And
lastly, the remaining four titles were won with two other
members that would make up the team’s ‘Big 3’, Tony
Parker and Manu Ginobili. This recent win was also fueled
in part due to the contributions of key role players that 
also don’t hail from the continental United States such 
as Boris Diaw, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Mills and Tiago Splitter. And
that should speak volumes.

Photo credit: Le Monde

The fact that all of these players have contributed to the success 
of an NBA franchise that was once part of a rival league and have
helped secure basketball as the greatest global sport behind football
aka soccer shouldn’t be overlooked. Take these facts into account:
the Spurs have in essence capitalized on incorporating foreign-born
players into a system that wins. Clean, crisp passing. Great court
vision. A high emphasis on teamwork. Substantial hard-working
ethic. In short, they’ve taken what has fueled immigrants here 
since this country was founded. Tim Duncan, from St.Croix in the
Virgin Islands. Tony Parker, whose father hails from Chicago, from
France. Manu Ginobili, from Argentina. I mean, Boris Diaw and Tony
Parker are boys from their days at INSEP(National Institute of Sports
and Physical Education) in Paris. Add the Brazilian Tiago Splitter 
who most saw as a raw prospect and Paddy Mills from Austrailia.
They represent the brimming culmination of a league that has
embraced the international player. And in a way, a league - and a
nation - that is still coming to grips with the rise of the emigrant.
The United States is still encumbered by race and the numerous
tentacales of hate and confusion the subject causes here. We can
root for baseball teams riddled with players from Cuba, Panama,
the Dominican Republic & other Latin countries, but will keep mum
on the decreasing number of Black players in the game. In the 
past three years, Black players making significant contributions
in the NHL have been the target of filthy racial slurs. And we’ve 
already dealt with the disguting spring of Donald Sterling in the
NBA. The Spurs’ win doesn’t even seem to register anymore in
the public eye. Sure, you can credit that to the media fixation on
the Miami Heat and their superstar, Lebron James. You can even
make the case that the Spurs are ‘boring’. No flash. But in some
way, you wonder if they’re being overlooked because they’re that
diverse of a team and go about their business. The Spurs, it can
be argued, are the exception that proves the rule when it comes
to emigrants and sports issues in the U.S.

Photo credit: IBTimes

Perhaps it’s fitting that the Spurs’ win coincided with the opening
matches of the 2014 World Cup currently taking place in Brazil.
There is definitely more interest in soccer this go-round in part 
due to the growing strength of the U.S. team and also the rise
of Major League Soccer. It’s back to the levels of 1994 when the
Cup was held here. Emigrants are a significant part of the World
Cup experience. Take Italy’s star, Mario Balotelli who plays for
AC Milan. Paul Pogha and Karim Benzema of France. Vincent
Kompany of Belgium. Hell, even the American side boasts a few
immigrants in Jozy Altidore and Jermaine Jones to name a couple.
The emigrant influence cannot be disputed. Look at France - that
nation has undergone political strife influenced by right-wing racist
thinking courtesy of the fascist National Front political party and 
others. This ire has been directed at African and Arab immigrants.
Yet, they will still cheer ‘Allez Les Bleus’ for a team that without 
immigrants, wouldn’t be able to take the field as shown in a recent
article making waves on the ‘Net. Karim Benzema himself spoke
about it in a quote from an interview: “If I score, I’m French. If I
don’t score or there are problems, I’m Arab.” He has also had 
some controversy with his refusal to sing the national anthem,
or the Marseillaise, on prior occassions. He knows full well how
the double standard works and his place in that system.

Part of the whole issue is that there is an attempt to overlook this
impact by the system and by fans. During France’s recent group 
win over Switzerland, I saw a couple of French guys dressed up
as Afro-Brazilian women in candomble outfits. It flashed for a
minute but it irked me because it was another example of them
having fun mimicking something ‘other’ or ‘exotic’. And FIFA is
now dealing with reports of racist remarks hurled by Argentine
fans. Here in the States, there is a conflict for some rooting for
the U.S. Not only because we’re considered upstarts, but also
because of some political outlooks. It’s also surprising just how
little we seem to hear about how players of immigrant backgrounds
have helped this team tremendously, even to the point where
the coach could leave off Landon Donovan, their best striker.
And the point is underscored as the U.S. faces the powerhouse
Portugal team without the Haitian-born Altidore, one of their
best offensive threats.

Photo credit: WorldSoccertalk

It does give one hope that seeing all of these players with
immigrant backgrounds can make an impact off the field.
Here in the U.S., one of the most pressing issues is how 
to include and to treat the growing emigrant population 
without scorn or derision fueled by corporate stooges and
crooked politicians. America IS an immigrant nation, whether
you choose to believe it or not. Just because you don’t hear
it much, doesn’t mean you won’t be reminded of it when
you look at the Native American reservations. It’s present
even as nut-jobs call the current president an immigrant
who doesn’t deserve the office and asking him to show 
his papers because he’s a Black man while supporting a 
fringe extremist who hails from Canada as a true American.
(When you figure that one out, let me know.) And our 
sports teams have always reflected that. The San Antonio
Spurs are just another example, as are this version of 
the United States National Mens Team in soccer. It’s just
another discussion we - and the world - have to have 
honestly, and openly.

Unstoppable Prophet: 'The Sun Rises In The East', 20 Years Later - Chris "Preach" Smith

‘Say Jack, who are those guys?
‘Oh, that’s my theme music. Every good hero,
should have some.’
- I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1989)

If 1994 can be considered the prime year in the
Golden Era of Hip-Hop for most of us, then you
have to consider all of the albums providing a 
key narrative for every MC or group. When it 
comes to Jeru The Damaja and his debut album,
The Sun Rises In The East, the narrative that 
is presented can be summed up in three words.
Brooklyn superhero emcee. In order to really 
appreciate that, we need to look at The Sun Rises
In The East in full.

Representing the grimy blocks of East New York,
Jeru The Damaja had been honing his skills 
until linking up with Guru of Gangstarr. See, the
MC otherwise known as Bald Head Slick wanted
to form his own crew a la the Juice Crew and 
others from the late 80’s. Jeru would be part of
this, along with Lil Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker
of Group Home. Jeru was considered to be the 
most ready in terms of putting out an album 
first. And along with Lil Dap, they’d get their shine
on ‘I’m The Man’ from Gangstarr’s solid 1992 
third album, Daily Operation. This cut is fairly
significant for three reasons. First, Premier 
showed a keen connection with Jeru’s particular
style with the beat production for his verse. 
Flipping Charles Mingus’ iconic ‘II BS’ into a 
steady pace was great framework. Second, 
Jeru’s verse is the last one on the track, and
as we know that’s the closer’s spot on any 
track with more than one MC. And lastly, the
TWO OPENING LINES:

“I’ll tap your jaw, you probably heard it before
step to the bedlamite, I’ll prove my word is law”

The brother used ‘bedlamite’. A term for ‘madman’
that flew over many heads but firmly soldified 
Jeru’s prowess in the minds of many. From this
point, he and Preemo would set down to work 
on the first single for his new album, ‘Come Clean’.
That single stills holds tremendous weight. DJ
Premier’s distinct ear brought about that beat
that seems SO simple when you first hear it. 
The Shelly Manne ‘Infinity’ sample that sounds
like water dropping onto Crescent Avenue from
the rusted overhead tracks of the J train lulling
you into the groove until you’re snapped back
by the Onyx ‘Throw Ya Gunz’ soundbite as the 
hook?! Man, listen. Jeru fully flexes his lyrical
style as a rugged and intelligent MC who’s a 
proud Brooklyn representative. He starts off
the first verse in a challenging mode that can
either be him ready to battle you in a cipher 
or throwing hands, both of which aren’t always
separate when it comes to MC’s looking to 
prove superiority. The song drops, and the entire
East Coast as well as everywhere else went 
crazy over it. Consider this: ‘Come Clean’ was 
released in October 1993. Now when The Sun 
Rises In The East comes out in May 1994? That
track is number ELEVEN on the album.

And when you listen to album in full, you can
appreciate why that is. The entire album is a
carefully crafted mix that serves partly as a 
soundtrack to the gritty blocks of East New 
York and partly as a dojo on wax for both Jeru
and Preemo. Premier’s production was on a 
roll and it showed here; every track contains
a decidedly vicious boom-bap that announces
itself no matter if it’s rugged or smooth. Jeru’s
flow stitched the whole album together in that
he could be that storyteller either from his 
own experiences running the street or what 
he witnessed. He could drop science but also
acknowledge his own contradictions, hence his
self-appointed ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrel’ moniker
fully detailed on ‘D Original’. For example, look
at this quintet of lines from the track’s second verse:

“The fact I have melanin automatically makes me a felon
even though I’m righteous, rotten’s what you’re yellin’
but I’m not chain snatchin’ or drug sellin’
according to your books you said I would be damned like Ham
scoundrel instead of the king that I am”

You have to appreciate the brevity and the verbal 
dexterity Jeru brings in just five lines. All with the 
backdrop provided by Premier that would lend itself
to a heist scene in a movie. The Sun Rises In The East
is full of that acute awareness. There’s references
to Kemetic science, Taoism and other philosphies.
A lot of the teachings many of us came in contact
with coming up in NYC and other cities from the 
‘80’s thanks to booksellers on strips like Fulton 
Street, Jamaica Avenue and 125th Street to name
a couple. Jeru even paid it forward by giving Afu-Ra & the
Perverted Monks their shine on the album in a track
I feel is still terribly slept on to this day, ‘Mental 
Stamina’. Look at it like this: the track is nearly 
two and a half minutes long. Chop off the little 
prelude to the song and you’ve got the two MC’s 
going at it non-stop. You can’t deny the force of
lines like this by Jeru, dropping periodic element
breakdowns in a track that harkens back to the
old days of MCs going back and forth on the mic
but still drops heavy knowledge in a plain way:

“Phoenetician with more stamina than a Christian
My mind C3 H5 N3 O9 like nitroglycerine
I bust as Afu Ra crush
clash with us and meet Cerebus”

The fact that Premier managed to make the beat
to this from a Roy Ayers track AND the drums
from Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’?! Chalk it up
to being another example supporting the Brooklyn
superhero narrative. 


The Sun Rises In The East also stands out for 
a couple of controversies. For one, the album cover
by Danny Hastings showing Jeru poised dramatically
before a depiction of the World Trade Center towers
engulfed in flames. It can be seen as prophetic 
given that this cover was designed two years 
after the first bombing and the Twin Towers’ 
subsequent demolition September 11th, 2001.
Another issue was the track ‘Da Bitchez.’ The
track rubbed The Fugees the wrong way, leading
Pras(Pras?) to throw shots at Jeru on another 
track, with Jeru responding in kind on ‘Black 
Cowboys’. This probably also had more to do with
Jeru’s anti-commercial rap stance as well. That
said, Jeru’s debut album works as a classic 
because of its gritty feel. It can sound a bit 
disjointed and indirect at times but when you 
look at it in the context of capturing a scene 
from any block in Brooklyn throughout the course
of a day or certain martial arts forms, it makes 
perfect sense. It’s also a neat serving of music,
clocking in under 40 minutes. The Sun Rises In
The East deserves to be seen as a solid classic 
that lent to the resurgent growth of East Coast
hip-hop. Twenty years later, the light from it 
still shines.

A Song For Juanita 'Cash' Hawkins: Ghostface Killah's 'Camay' Revisited - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Photo Credit: The Urban Daily

It’s the fall of 1996. I’m hanging out at an open
mic somewhere in the East Village, taking place
in a lounge that you’d miss if you were walking
too fast to the corner bodega. The place is only
half-packed with drum & bass fans rocking UFO
pants, one or two couples, and a smattering of
women from the Afrocentric to those rocking
the Poetic Justice braids. I’m by the bar, with
my Carhartt hoodie, jeans and suede Timberlands;
this was before the clubs in NYC started shutting
wearing boots in there down completely. I spot
one young lady going over poems in a marble
composition notebook a little ways down from
me. She looks up, catches me looking at her.
I grin and nod, and she flashes a brilliant smile.
Before walking over. At that moment, the DJ
plays a track that sums up the moment and
would also be a fitting piece to the soundtrack
of romance in the late 1990’s…’Camay’ by
Ghostface Killah from his debut album, Ironman.

‘Camay’ is one of those tracks that still lies
embedded in a lot of people’s memories and
was an introduction to a gentler side of the
Wallaby Champ. No mean feat considering that
this same album features the controversial
‘Wildflower’ which shows Ghost viciously reading
a woman who’s been unfaithful to him. And
admitting his own infidelity. ‘Camay’ is part
love ballad. part come-on and part bull session
with the fellas. The magc behind it has a few
facets. For one, up until this point the Wu Tang
Clan was still on the upswing in terms of their
dominance in hip-hop. You’re talking about a
run of iconic solo albums from Method Man,
Ol Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and GZA over a
three year span. Ghost would complete the
solo cipher with Ironman and add his own
distinct charismatic style. In contrast, Ghost
was arguably the most cocky with his, but
he could also be the most tender. When you
listen to Ironman in full, you realize that is
the heart of the whole album.

When you sit and peep ‘Camay’ in full, one 
strength of the song that seems to be a missing
art today is, verse placement. Having Raekwon
go first is one thing, but entrusting Cappadonna
who to this point was essentially a new Wu MC
hold down the middle verse was a solid move.
All three verses have that effect of being in a
club or restaurant and emphasize the art of
grown conversation. Yes, GROWN conversation.
Because when youv’e got rappers talking about
running up on women in clubs these days, it’s
all about flashing enough money that she’ll go
home with them. I’ll get back to that later. Look
at Rae’s opening lines:

‘What’s the deal Goldilocks?
Aint nothin’ I’m just hibernatin’
love that watch
pour me some scotch and cold Courvoisier’

Rae’s mode - the clever nursery rhyme twist
to noticing her blonde hairstyle that MANY 
sisters started rocking thanks to Mary J. and
the ‘My Life’ era and ordering scotch with
a brand of cognac that was slightly better 
than ordering Hennessy(the ‘hood staple) -
starts off the track in suave fashion. You
also have to peep the rebuttal: ‘n***a you
small change/I only f**k for Figaro chains.’
This can be correlated to the rise of women
in hip-hop being more calculated in terms of
getting money from suitors in bolder, colder
terms due to Lil Kim’s entry onto the scene
at that time. It has its own comedy, which
leads well into Cappadonna’s verse. Cappa,
who basically made his debut all over Ironman,
delivers in a vivid way that strengthens the
track surprisingly. It’s more of a calmer date
that he has, and it enhances the order of 
things. Look at it this way: Rae’s verse is 
all about the frenzy of the bar/club interaction.
Cappa’s verse is more suited for a quiet 
dinner, and Ghost’s is the same save for 
meeting his lady at the bar. The second 
verse also displays some tenderness in a 
couple of spots, from Cappa remarking on 
how he could see them riding the ferry 
together to assuring her that she doesn’t
have to worry about him rejecting her due
to her celibacy. That’s a mind-blowing point
given that up to this juncture, that may be 
the ONLY instance of celibacy in the Wu catalog.
I could be wrong though. 


And finally, Ghost.

His verse is the most memorable for many
reasons. For one, his lady has a name: Juanita
‘Cash’ Hawkins. Now if you hear that name
and don’t picture a smart, attractive woman
in a business suit with heels that could get
her groove on to The Whispers or Chi-Lites the
moment you hear it, I don’t know what to
tell you. And it COULD be somebody’s mama
out there chronicled on wax. With all of the
stories coming out now about the Wu, would
you doubt it? Ghost is at once the most charming,
comedic and willing to be raw with his verse.
How many times have you quoted these lines,
be real:

‘Can you cook darling
at the stove you’re evolving
baked macaroni, turkey wings 
a n***a starving’

Ghost also cleverly ties this track in with 
‘Wildflower’ with the line ‘Shoulda left 
my wis a thousand times/maybe tonight
though’. Think about it for a minute. One 
of Ironman’s key attributes is the visible 
influence of the Five Percenter teachings,
arguably more than any other Wu album.
If you’re up on the mathematics, ‘Camay’
is a representation of knowledge and the
cipher coming together. Hence the way 
all three MC’s approach their storytelling 
in their verses. ‘Wildflower’ is Ghost doing
what the track placement dictates - speaking
wise words and acting on it, even if it is
wildly rough. He also goes from being 
smooth to just basically showing out and
losing his train of thought but it doesn’t
derail his wittiness one bit. In fact, it serves
to heighten his game.

‘Camay’ was, and is, a blueprint for how dudes
SHOULD approach mature women with
romantic conversation. Peep the tone set
by RZA’s great production using that Teddy
Pendergrass sample. Quiet, insistent but
not forceful, and intimate. (I always felt the
‘clinking of glasses’ effect was a nice touch.)
While it’s not altogether removed from certain
behavior seen as horrendous to women, those
elements are faint. Plus, it’s delivered at a
point in the album where Ghost probably said,
‘aight, they had enough of that rugged s**t,
I’m gonna make something elegant for the
Earths’ in the studio sessions. Even the key
product mentions deserve some acclaim.
All in all, ‘Camay’ would turn out to another 
standout ballad of sorts from the Wu to rival 
Meth’s ‘All I Need’ from those early days. Even
with the ‘Riunite on Ice’ mention.

Hate and The Hardwood Court - Chris 'Preach' Smith

It has been a little over 24 hours since the world
has been rattled by the latest sordid incident courtesy
of the infamous owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles
Clippers, Donald Sterling. To provide a recap, media
outlet TMZ reported that Sterling went on an angry
racist rant in an argument with his girlfriend on April 9th,
a woman named V.Stiviano. This report came complete
with the recording of the argument in which Sterling
goes compeltely ballistic on Stiviano(who is Black and
Mexican by the way) due to her posting a picture to
Instagram of her and NBA legend and corporate magnate
Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. The alleged conversation included
such offensive statements as the following:

”You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in
, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not
to promote it on that…and not to bring them to my games.”

Sterling also made it very clear how he felt about Magic
Johnson as well:

“Don’t put him on an Instagram for the world to have to
see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”

The story comes as Sterling’s Clippers are locked in a
thrilling first round playoff series agains the Golden 
State Warriors and are picked by some as NBA Finals
contenders. The response to this recording has been 
swift and unceasing from all quarters. Johnson took 
to Twitter to publicly condemn Sterling’s words and
behavior and to vow that he and his wife will never 
attend another Clippers game so long as Sterling was

the owner. Lebron James of the Miami Heat also made
it clear in an interview after his team’s Game 3 victory
over the Charlotte Bobcats that he felt ‘there’s no room
for Donald Sterling in the NBA.’ The Clippers players 

themselves are reportedly displeased, with coach Doc
Rivers visibly angry at an interview session where he
dispelled the notion of a boycott. NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver at a press conference in Memphis, Tennessee
stated that the NBA was thoroughly investigating the
incident and that Sterling has voluntarily agreed not
to attend Game 4 due to tip off this afternoon in
Oakland, California. To take a quote from the great
poet Maya Angelou, “The first time someone shows you
who they are, believe them.” And this is certainly true
in the case of Donald Sterling, who has earned his rep
as possibly the worst owner in American sports with
tarnished stripes.

Truth be told, Sterling has worn this mantle for many
years. After buying the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million
in 1981 and moving them from San Diego to L.A.,
he was known to be the cheapest owner in the league.
All of this as his franchise grew to where it now sits
at an estimated value of $575 million dollars. And in his
30-plus years as owner, the team has had only FIVE
winning seasons. Sterling’s racism has been like a 
festering wound on a wino passed out in front of a 
church getting ready for Sunday service. There’s quite
a few articles from established reporters as Bomani 
Jones and Jemele Hill of ESPN as well as Dave Zirin’s
eye-opening piece for The Nation over the past few 
years. These reports detail a frugal, crotchety bigot 
that Archie Bunker could’ve had a drink with. A man
who in 2009 paid out $2.7 million dollars to settle
a federal lawsuit against him that claimed he refused
to rent apartments to Blacks, Latinos and families 
with children in his buildings in Koreatown, the largest
settlement in such a case on record. A man who has
been a serial sexual harasser of women. A man who
reportedly told his former GM Elgin Baylor that he
wanted a “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure”
where “poor Black boys from the South” would be
coached by a white man. Throughout lawsuits and
lurid accounts of his behavior, Sterling has in a sense,
been bulletproof. The NBA has accepted this nonsense
for decades. Yes, accepted. There is no other word to
describe it when you find someone so repugnant has
been allowed to carry on for that long. The league has
enabled Sterling long enough. And for Adam Silver, who
took over the Commissioner’s job from David Stern,
the danger of failing to punish Sterling will severely
damage the reputation of the league and further
anger its players. His quick, lackluster statements
could’ve been better expressed in a stack of Xeroxed
releases handed out. It has an air of cover-up about
it.

 

Let’s not kid ourselves. People have been demanding
action by the NBA and Clippers players in terms of a
boycott, but both situations probably won’t happen. To
begin with, the tide is beginning to mount in a way against
Stiviano, who is currently named as the defendant in a 
lawsuit brought against her by Sterling’s estranged wife,
Rochelle. The suit claims that Stiviano is little more than
a goldigger, who Sterling began to have an affair with in
2010. The suit also claims that Sterling used community
property to buy Stiviano luxury cars worth half a million
dollars and $1.8 million to buy a duplex close to the
Beverly Center. Stiviano apparently claimed that she
would ‘get even’ for being scorned according to the family’s
press statement. Stiviano is already being fingered as the
person who gave the tape to TMZ. And this recording might
be a violation of California’s law against taping without
consent. So it opens the door for her to be more liable 
than TMZ for a lawsuit by Sterling. And that would shift 
focus away from his misdeeds if it happens. As far as a
player boycott, there’s reasons why it won’t happen. For
one, the legal language appears to protect players if they
chose to sit out the game but they then would face fines
by the league. And Chris Paul, their star point guard and
president of the players’ union, has already conveyed that
they are working with former NBA star and Mayor of
Sacramento, California Kevin Johnson. This is probably so
that the league can try to stave rising anger which could
cause a work stoppage at their most lucrative time of
year. Another reason? Most of these guys don’t want to
ultimately risk their checks and earning power. As much
as you and I might want these cats to basically be Ali or
John Carlos, they aren’t. The most we might get is more
mildly symbolic gestures like DeAndre Jordan’s on Instagram.
Keep in mind that Sterling is also someone who is not
afraid to relentlessly heckle his own players, as Baron
Davis can tell you. The NBA wants this to go away real
quick because it further solidifies a viewpoint that paints
their collection of owners as a billiionaire boys’ club. And
the resolution of racial matters isn’t a strong suit of theirs
either, recently evidenced by their bumbling over the ‘N’
word being used by players. 

There’s also been an outcry for the NBA to step in and 
get the Clippers away from Sterling. That’s a sticky 
situation because with someone as unpredictable as 
Sterling is, he could wind up suing the league and its
owners for federal and state antitrust violations. They
can take the steps to suspend him, and then negotiate
behind the scenes to have him sell the team. There is
precedent here with the notorious case of Marge Schott
who owned the Cincinatti Reds of Major League Baseball
and was suspended for her vile comments in 1993 and 
again in 1996 until she sold her stake in the team in 
1998 facing a third suspension. The NBA has dealt with
this before in the case of Ted Stepien and the Cleveland
Cavaliers in 1983 over racially offensive remarks he
made.

 Photo Credit: Deadspin

The main thing is, Donald Sterling can no longer be
shrugged off as a dumb bigoted owner anymore. It’s 
almost unbelievable that this fool, the same dude who
had his team celebrate Black History Month in the WRONG
MONTH has flown under the radar. The recorded rant
shows a sad individual, a relic of racisim. The fixation with
Magic? Pure hate and jealousy only a warped mind like
that can conjure. Magic is a shining treasure for the city
of Los Angeles, a legendary athlete, owns Starbucks stores
as well as his own TV network and now, the Los Angeles
Dodgers. It galls Sterling that a Black man can be that
well loved, that supremely successful and make him
look so small as a result. Another reason is that Magic
Johnson as one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time
greats represents achievement his franchise could
never get thanks to his ways. Ironically, he helped 
reinforce the Lakers as an NBA dynasty when the late
Dr.Jerry Buss sold Sterling part of his apartment
complexes in 1979 and with the money took over
that team as well as the Kings hockey franchise and
the Forum. He also more than likely felt sexually
inadequate as well - viewing Black people through
the lens of plantation days will give rise to thoughts
of ‘buck nigras’. Listen to the recording and you’ll
hear that in his accusations of Stiviano not being
proper according to him. All in all, Sterling has again
shown just how poisonous he is. And while the NBA
should’ve known and acted better the first time they
saw it, they can’t afford to let it bubble up again.