My Killing Rage

Elementary school teachers drilled the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy of nonviolence in my impressionable mind. Middle and high school teachers introduced the “by any means necessary” ode of Malcolm El-Hajj Shabazz (Malcolm X). Undergrad abandoned me and forced me to survive on my own through the autobiography of Assata Shakur. Life opened a grave new spectrum, filled with anger, inequality, injustice and a fading history. Day to day activities held police brutality, racism and sexism. Each aspect of my growth enhanced my killing rage.

Yes, we have come a long way from slavery but blacks are still looked at as three-fifths human. We have proven time and time again our capabilities of being seen as equal but there is embedded hatred for our uprising. bell hooks' essay “Killing Rage” has inspired me to express my own rage toward the white male patriarchal system and its continued oppression. Black men have the "John Henry" effect where even the scrawny are seen to have the ability to beat the machine. The sharp number of ignorant whites and blacks have fed the system of what we are living today. The education system is the first wave of artillery.

The implementation of the federal “No Child Left Behind Act” has started the destruction of an importance of creativity and the wonderment of imagination. The average parent is now forced to work an eight hour shift and fill-in the massive blanks that the education system is starting to leave out. After-school programs are getting cut, the arts are being excess from the budget and passing a test is more important than a real history lesson. Everything is systematic if we like it or not. There is always a means to an end. The powers that be are creating efforts to change and modify education are not doing it with a kind heart. There are no lessons that teach real world experiences and the ability to create your own.

Our past heroes had the right idea pertaining to integration but we had to succumb to the education system that omitted our history. We had to assimilate into a society that didn't care about the outcome of our intelligence. Years passed by of continued brainwashing and subliminal messages, clouding the judgment and leaving an impression on our youth. I have noticed that the disconnection between society and those in charge is unreal. People want us to see things as colorless but blackness is reminded in every negative way possible. Our positive images are infiltrated and the chosen few have become brainwashed.

Why does every day have to be a fight when it comes to embracing culture?

What exactly is the right way?

Every individual has a unique definition of normal and shouldn't be afraid to embrace their existence. The poor neighborhoods are ransacked with patrol cars and beat cops. The search for every infraction is magnetized in the “slums.” Rich crime is overlooked and to the masses seems as if crime can be paid off.

Why is the poor under attack from those who are supposed to protect and serve?

To be poor in the United States is to be criminalized and condemned by the powers that be. I wonder how can an officer of the law who may have been born in a poor neighborhood and environment surrender to persecuting their people. We are being taught to fend for self and to leave the community behind.

Where did we lose our humanity?

Where is the pay it forward attitude of the past?

Civil rights leaders were not thinking standards during their fight. They were focused on changing the future. Within changing the future something went awry and we’re faced with this present police nation. The thing that perplexes me the most is the people who don’t want to see the connection with race. They are the people who side with happenstance when the numbers show facts and coincidence.

There will always be questions with so many and no answers. We have to prepare for the future and the ones will obtain the power of change. My killing rage may or may not be justified but I, like the community of Ferguson, am tired of the injustice and inequality. Embrace your killing rage, be the change you want to see and pay it forward.

My Mind on Music

Music is a universal language. The way we conceptualize music as individuals can show a great deal of our character. The mood from the type of music sets off feeling whether dealing with low-self esteem or uplifting their target audience. The choice of music lies in the power of our own ears. The variety of genres allow for free will, (yes we consider music a godly entity) and predestination. Music can be broken down into parts to create a song. Lyrics tend to persuade the listener to continue to listen to a particular genre. Words construct buildings of imagination and lay a foundation of thought. When rhythm, melody and words are infused, it’s a form of hypnotism and influence. Although we have the choice of which music to listen, we cannot hide from the words entailed. Thus our choice of music has some control over our everyday lives. The lyrics may give a day to day account of the listener.

For the youth, whose mind is very impressionable, the lyrics need to be censored. I am not asking for censorship from freedom of speech, I am asking for stronger vigilance against derogatory and inappropriate language. The creators of the lyrics seem to dismiss their importance of being an influence. What appropriates such carefree attitudes among artists whose voice may be the only constant in the life of a youth? What is the reason behind glorifying the negatives when the positives are somewhat attainable? Who as music lovers are we to hold accountable for the lyrical content without losing the integrity of free speech?

Many questions arise from the struggle to regain the integrity and essence of the art form of music. My focus is music’s impressionable control over the youth. From recent experience with a group of suspended seventh graders, who the majority was black, in the New York City Board of Education system, lyrical content shaped their everyday thinking. The students’ main choice of music was Hip Hop and their favorite artist was a teenager with their same mind state, Chief Keef. The artist’s lyrical content was filled with the glorification of being rich and defying their social norms. The students seemed to think drugs, sex and money is the gateway to successful and comfortable lifestyle. Although once upon a time, Hip Hop music was deeply frowned upon with the emergence of Gangsta Rap , that focused more on societal issues, these days it is more “monkey see, monkey do:” effect. Of course instead of showing true talent, those who are impressionable are more exposed.

The genre of Hip Hop/Rap seems to stray away from talented and well thought out lyrics to focus on the individual with the most exposure. It seems the lines between talent and influence have become gravely separated. There are positive lyrics from the Hip Hop/Rap culture but that has the lowest exposure, if any. These seventh graders were exposed to the genres of R&B, Soul and Pop but Hip Hop/Rap of which they listened to failed to have emotion. “Hate Being Sober” by Chief Keef, a song they replayed over and over glorified the effects of drinking alcohol and the feel better of being inebriated.

As an adolescent we all went through the phase of rebellion and going against the wishes of our parents but in the times of social media, it is magnified. The fruits of labor are shown in abundance but in reality it doesn’t equate to the musician’s finances, especially in Hip-Hop/Rap. The form started as an expression, which it still is, but now there seems to be less art to it. Adding in the country’s state of economy and the rush to preserve wealth or make easy, fast money, many of the urban youth choose the path of becoming rappers because of the glorification they are shown. Instead of being taught to work hard and accumulate wealth the youth would rather live beyond their means just to keep up with the images plastered before them. Ultimately it is their choice; their environments have influenced them in some way.

Being a product of their environment is what has been the underlying reason behind the influx of Hip-Hop’s wealthy lifestyle influence. We just have to wait out the phase and hope that the urban youth understands that there is more than just one type of music and the world has a vast wealth of knowledge. A mentor is always the key to having a positive influence. Exposure to more than one genre of music can lead to exploring many different levels of knowledge. Life itself is a constant learning process and the generation after is always different from the one before. The mistakes made may remain the same and so will the hope of a better future. Ultimately I want the music culture as whole to produce scholars, thinkers and positive influences. We all have emotions and forms of expression, I hope for improvement even if it is slow. Slow and steady does win the race.