No Protestation without Representation - Chris "Preach" Smith

Occupy Wall Street has captured a lot of people's attention over the past
couple of weeks. More than likely, you've seen links to articles on Facebook
and Twitter devoted to various aspects of the protest. Major television networks
and the rest of the media at large have started covering OWS with a bit more
regularity even if they sometimes have a mocking tone, as shown by CNN's
Erin Burnett the other night. The crowds in Zuccotti Park have grown to an
estimated 20,000 and similar movements have sprouted in 45 other states
and counting. Yet there's some thing left unspoken, some things left to be
fully desired when you look at these crowds of protesters and dig deeper.

First, let me start by saying I'm glad people are making their voices heard.
I've been involved in activism myself and I'm always glad when people take
hold of their right to dissent. But I'm wary about this movement for a couple
of reasons. The first one being the fact that there was no definitive voice out
there from the jump. Any and every protest movement NEEDS a direct voice,
a stated list of demands. If I have to scour Google just to find that listing, it's
a problem. Even the Yippees in Chicago, as open and organic as they were had
a structure from the outset. People sitting there saying 'we don't need a leader,
we're all leaders' are kind of avoiding things. And if OWS grows larger, you are
going to need disciplined people leading and forming committees throughout.
A couple of folks I've spoken to who have been down there have felt that some
direction was needed. Look at the Radiohead situation. OWS wouldn't have been
the victim of such a hoax if they had a clear voice from the beginning. They had
to scramble and apologize to people and lose some sympathetic people.

That vagueness also leads to another issue; the hangers-on. The jackasses
who are there only to get high, get drunk and get laid. 'Hey look, I'm out
protesting!! Give me some action!!' They are detrimental to such a movement.
It may seem like you can't avoid them, but a free-flowing group will have
these folks involved. Just this morning, Chris Hayes of MSNBC asked a friend
he knew who would be considered part of 'the 1%' about OWS. That friend
said 'it got their 26 year old off the couch and there's less marijuana smoke
in the house.' THIS is how they already see the movement, and you don't
want people to add to that. Especially if you're going to have whole families
take part down the line. Those folks need to have reps talk to them strongly
about their behavior and if there's resistance, throw them out. The cause has
to be greater than the process.

And the biggest concern I have with regards to the Occupy movement is the
fact that over the past couple of weeks, people of color haven't been able to
find a definitive place fully. I think that while many Blacks and Latinos do
share and support the what the Occupy movement is doing, there's a feeling
of distrust by some. They see a movement that's mostly white in some cities
and feel as if they're looking out for themselves mostly. There have been a
couple of instances where POC activists have been shouted down for trying to
add inclusive language to the list of demands. And in probably the most appalling
situation, Congressman John Lewis was not allowed to speak at Occupy Atlanta
yesterday. From some accounts, even people who tried to apologize to him were
shouted down. To me, the fact that you can have disdain for someone who GOT
HIS HEAD SPLIT OPEN fighting for civil rights in this country, who was doing that
before most of them were born is disgraceful. And it sends a bad message. Already
right-wing blogs are having a field day.


What's needed is something that I saw lacking even when I was protesting
years ago. There needs to be more of a concerted effort on both sides. If you
are Black and Latino and want to support the Occupy movement, do so. And
to those in the Occupy movement, if you don't want to be seen as just a bunch
of 'dirty White hippies', get the word out directly to activists groups of color, the
churches. Speak directly to them. Understand that Black and Latino people are
trying to hold onto what they have left and see you as being late to the party only
because you're just now going  through what they'd been through for decades.
Cornell West and Russell Simmons being there for a day is nice, but you need all
of us with you.

I hope that if anything, Occupy Wall Street and the other movements can get
stronger, and really tell those who manipulate the politics to get lost. And that
all of these problems get resolved before they make their voice weaker.

Sucker's Punch - Chris "Preach" Smith

I know what you're thinking.

You, like many around the world who witnessed the Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Victor
Ortiz bout last night are in one of two camps. The first camp being all about Floyd
and how he triumphed once again, even in the midst of questionable tactics by his
opponent. The second camp is furious, believing Floyd took advantage of Ortiz and
is a loudmouth who won't fight the best out there aka Manny Pacquiao.

In this case, both sides are right.

I wasn't hyped up for this fight mainly because I didn't think it would be a contest
from the outset. I'm not a full-fledged Mayweather supporter; he's a little too much
of a loudtalker and all over the place for me. That said, I do recognize that he's a
great fighting talent. One who, hate it or love it, is a far better draw than those
Klitschko brothers who seem to be afraid of fighting outside of Europe and are as
important to the sport now as a 2 day old spit bucket. Outside of Pacquiao of course.
And that's a major issue which I'll get back to. The whole mood around the fight
seemed forced for lack of a better word. Boxing, as a sport isn't dead but it's like
a wino resorting to rubbing alcohol and nail polish to get the highs it once had but
can't reach anymore. The main problem is that there aren't too many draws out there,
no big names. The heavyweight division is almost a wasteland. Younger fighters are
on the way, but boxing has to deal with the double edged sword of impatience and a
generation who loves the ground-and-pound savagery of mixed martial arts. The bout
last night would've been huge had it gone more than four rounds. But it didn't, and it
hurts the sport and Floyd, sadly.

As far as the knockout, I've witnessed it. And my take is, it wouldn't have gotten to
that point if Ortiz didn't lose his cool and head butt Mayweather. And I've never seen
a fighter try to hug another like cuddlebums do as an apology. Touch gloves and fight
on, dude. But that's Ortiz's youth working against him. The knockout was legal. A
boxers trained to take advantage of ANY opportunity. But it's sad that it had to get
to that point. Floyd also didn't help himself by cursing out Larry Merchant, prompting
Merchant to utter his now famous comeback. He comes off as childish and bullying
and even though Merchant isn't exactly Barbara Walters, you have to wonder if he
went at Merchant because Merchant was not going to let up and eventually ask him
about Pacquiao? Floyd hasn't backed away from calling for Merchant's firing, a move
that will only make those who are soured on him despise him even more.


No matter what, Floyd knows that in order to win everyone over completely,
he's going to have to fight Manny Pacquiao. He's at a place where other fighters
like Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis have been. I know there are those who
will argue that it hasn't happened because they buy the argument that Manny
takes steroids. Which is a garbage argument and is now removed from the table
since Manny's camp has agreed to testing. Mayweather's painted himself into a
corner. This fight ended badly, too badly for a large group of people who won't
pay 60 bucks again unless it's a fight against Pac-Man. Floyd said he's game for
a rematch, but will Ortiz do it if he's only going to get the same price he got for
this fight($2 million at last report)? It only leaves Pacquiao. And who's to say Floyd
is WILLING to fight him right now? He just made a ton of money. He could pull a
Lennox Lewis and retire right now undefeated. It's a scenario more suited to the
WWE than professional boxing. And that's the real shame of it all.

The only suckers last night are those who thought they were going to see a
real good boxing match and got empty pockets and promises in return.

Barack's Lament - Chris "Preach" Smith

Tonight, President Barack Obama will speak to a joint session
of Congress about his proposal for a new bill intended to create
sorely needed job growth. There is of course, an inherent move
taking place by Republicans to openly disrespect the President of
the United States by not even showing up. That's not what gets
me disgusted.

What has me utterly disgusted is the total lack of respect. And the
basis for it. From all sides.

We all knew that this was going to go down the first day President
Obama was in office. You have seated officials ON RECORD saying
that their main goal was to make him a 'one-term president.' You
have representatives stepping on his speeches in Congress. You have
bigoted pundits like Glenn Beck saying 'he hates white culture' and
Newt Gingrich calling him 'a food stamp President'. They HATE this
man and what he stands for. And will block him any chance they get.
And yet, some of you out there are still falling for the rope-a-dope.
Yes, I'm talking to those 'independent voters', those who feel that by
not voting they're sending a message, those poverty pimps on the
professional left. My message to you is to WAKE THE HELL UP.

What we have here is people's failure of perception. Let me illustrate.
Barack Obama, to me, is just like that one person of color that works
in a predominately white office. His track record is spotless, he's done
good work so he gets promoted. Immediately, the knives come out.
Code words become the norm. "We feel you might not be qualified enough."
"We don't feel you have a sense of commitment." "We're not seeing
your sense of urgency in what you do." Then there's quiet but somewhat
effective sabotage. It'll be through other co-workers' gaffes. Outright
refusal to do any work even if it harms the entire project. Cold stares or
even blank ones. And then, there's the patronizing tone. You know the
one. The one that suggests that you might have been better off in the
mailroom while the 'big' minds goof off and plan things over martini and
porterhouse steak luncheons paid for with corporate credit cards. In this
light, this prism, you see exactly how the Republicans and their Tea Party
faction see Barack Obama. As just another employee of color who they feel
doesn't know his place.


It's impossible to see this unless you get honest with yourself and your own
perspective. Race is a factor. If it was a factor in President Obama being elected
(let's be serious, the Democratic primary unfortunately was a choice for some of
'The Colored Guy' versus 'The Broad')it is going to be a main factor in a good
chunk of opposition to his politics. And the Republicans are taking advantage
any way they can. You can sit there and say that Barack needs to be tougher.
That he needs to get angry. But we all know that the one thing that scares a part
of the American populace of Caucasian heritage is 'the angry Black man.' Hell,
you've got elected officials claiming he's a terrorist playing 'gangsta' music in
the Oval Office. He had to take the Jackie Robinson approach. But no one on
the left is going to see this. And if there's anything one should know if they're
a student of real American history, is that some in the 'professional' left has done
just as much to hinder the progress of people of color than the right with their
timidity, splintered reactions to his policies. Look at the battle over his health care
plan. There just as many liberals calling him 'Hitler'.

And for Black people...some of you really need to get a grip. There are some of
you who subconsciously mimic these people and claim its 'realism'. Some of it
comes from the naivete that a Black president was going to automatically sweep
away everything overnight. You fell for the 'magic Negro' angle too. Instead you
choose to paint it as 'Superfly'. The work didn't end with his election. And there's
going to be a mountain range of work if he doesn't get a second term. You think
it's hard NOW? If a GOP candidate takes 2012, be prepared to live like it's 1963.
If you think I'm lying, look at the voting restrictions being put in place in North
and South Carolina, and in Wisconsin. Stop trying to be cool through cynicism if
you're not even doing your due diligence on current and past events. They want
you to dump on him too because THEY EXPECT YOU TO. I don't have to explain
who 'they' are.

The President deserves respect. I didn't hear all of these people talk so loudly
when Dubya was serving his eight years. Think long and hard what that got us
here in this country. Now that a Black man is in office, all of a sudden you feel
that he's someone to throw dog crap on. There's honest dialogue and criticism
and then there's blatant, hypocritical and childish disrespect. And people are
getting too comfortable with the latter. I say to you, wake up and ask the same
question Souls of Mischief did.."tell me who profits?"

Motor City Rising - Chris "Preach" Smith

Elzhi of Slum Village

Detroit is a city that like one of its many favorite sons, Joe Louis, has
taken numerous punches to its gut. The automobile industry's woes
in addition to other troubles such as a wayward mayor, corruption and
drug-related violence has made Detroit a city pitied and scorned by
others. (I won't even go into detail about the Lions.) But things are
beginning to slowly change for the better in the D, through the hard
work of some community initiatives. And since any resurgence needs
a soundtrack worthy of its energy, Detroit now boasts a hip-hop culture
totally unique and inspiring in its own right.


Guilty Simpson.

Hip-hop in Detroit is as old as the art form itself. I still remember its earliest
veteran, the late MC Breed who was the first rapper to make it big out of
the midwest, a year before the female rapper Boss' debut on Def Jam. And
Detroit hasn't lacked for talent since, with J Dilla, Eminem and Slum Village
being their standard bearers for the rest of the 1990's until now. It also has
shown a certain diversity among its base of rappers, boasting D12 and the
infamous Insane Clown Posse who have spawned an almost rabid fan base
known as 'Juggalos'. One also can't forget the impact of Royce Da 5'9, one
fourth of the group Slaughterhouse and a well regarded microphone vet.
I've had discussions with different people who feel that contemporary hip hop
wouldn't be what it is without influences from the D and its artists.
And aside from the obvious examples, other MC's are putting their stamp on
the game in a big way. Guilty Simpson, who puts in work with Stones Throw
Records came up with J Dilla's backing. Black Milk is a highly regarded producer
and MC who never ceases to amaze. Elzhi of Slum Village has made a solid
solo career for himself, recently touring with Jeep as a sponsor. Big Sean has
made a splash with the help of Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music. Danny Brown
and his unique style has the blogs up in arms. And just to prove that the ladies
do have a serious impact, Invincible is getting a lot of buzz in the industry.


Invincible.

All of this talent from the Motor City should reinforce the idea that
hip-hop is a rejuvenating force in many ways. What it also should do
is remind people of its roots as a new generation of MCs, DJs and
producers take their cue from those before them in Detroit. Most
importantly, it should remove all doubt from naysayers about their
effect on the music like what happened when the South's influence
took a great hold over the past years. Like NO ID said, "the one that's
in the middle is the one that sees the most."

Who's This Caddie? - Chris "Preach" Smith

Stevie Williams made a new name for caddies yesterday.

A bad one.

Regardless of however you feel about Tiger Woods, his former caddie
Williams comes off as the bigger jerk after his comments yesterday
after Adam Scott won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. 'The biggest
win of his life?' Really? I guess 13 major victories carrying Tiger's bags
doesn't count now, but here's a memo to Williams. YOU'RE A CADDIE.
FALL BACK.

This is all in response to Williams' firing by Tiger a couple of weeks ago.
I didn't mind him initially saying he was hurt by it, but two things cut
my sympathy for him short. The first thing is, it occurred after Williams
decided to ask for permission to caddie for Scott. Tiger consented and
then let Willaims go. We don't really know the relationship between
these two. Both men have their huge egos. Stevie has been notorious
for being rude, arrogant and physically confrontational at times with
both the fans and the press. Another thing is, Williams got really petty
after the firing. People get fired every day. It's a sad fact of life. But
you don't go and claim you lost respect for your boss over his misdeeds
when you probably didn't have the onions to tell him to his face. And
you don't follow that up with a veiled remark about disclosing all in a
book down the line. That's lawsuit language right there mate.


Williams stole the show yesterday, and had people chanting his name.
What a crock. He's not a victim, as some in the media would have you
believe for the sake of good copy. He's a publicity hound now. Williams
would have you believe he had it rough, but he's a multi-millionaire.
"60 Minutes" did a story on him at his farm in New Zealand. The man
has bank, people. He eats real well off of his run with Woods. You want
to know how much he made off the win with Scott? Less than $70,000.
I hope that now whatever celebrity he thinks he has is as minute as a
mosquito's member. And that all of the Tiger-haters who support him
can be ashamed of themselves. Stevie Williams needs to do what a
caddie does best...carry the bags, and be as quiet as possible.