Going On…

[Gnarls Barkley - Going On]

GOOD GOD, I HEART GNARLS BARKLEY. This video reminds me of Ghana, aka land of people who say what they mean, and mean what they say (what an idea, right?!?!?). Reading the lyrics makes me wonder if Cee-Lo’s ancestors are from Ghana. Hmmmmm…

I’ve seen it with my own eyes / How we’re gettin’ otherwise / Without the luxury of leavin’ / The touch and feeling of free is / Untangible technically / Something you’ve got to believe in / Connect the cause and effect / One foot in front of the next / This is the start of a journey. / And my mind is already gone / And though there are other unknowns / Somehow this doesn’t concern me.

And you can stand right there if you want…

But I’m going on / And I’m prepared to go it alone / I’m going on / To a place in the sun that’s nice and warm / I’m going on

And I’m sure they’ll have a place for you too…

Anyone that needs what they want, and doesn’t want what they need I want nothing to do with / And to do what I want / And to do what I please / Is first of my to-do list / But every once in a while I think about her smile / One of the few things I do miss / But baby I‘ve to go / Baby I’ve got to know / Baby I’ve got to prove it

And I’ll see you when you get there…

But I’m going on / And I’m prepared to go it alone / I’m going on / May my love lift you up to the place you belong / I’m going on / And I promise I’ll be waiting for you…

This song brings to mind, every person I’ve loved and had to leave behind. I had to “go on,” because you can only help someone as much as they want to be helped. There comes a point when you’ve done all you can to care for and support someone, and you come to realize that if you don’t “keep it moving” yourself, their behavior will actually cause YOU to digress. I encourage everyone out there who is struggling to love and support someone who struggles, to read these lyrics a few times through. Gnarls Barkley always seems to get me through tough times, and a platinum plaque proves that they do the same for millions of others.

I’m Going On Y’all,
Senbei

p.s. For those of you who don’t know me and wonder why a eurasian kid from the eastbay would talk about West Africa, it’s because I lived there during 2003-2004 through an education abroad program, and got turnt-out (in a good way). I feel like the only honesty I see in Amerika that resembles Ghana is from the young people that I work with each day. Thank God for Ghana, children and Gnarls Barkley. Church.

API Rappers, Interracial Dating & The Garden of Good & Wevils…

So I have a theory. And it is HELLA f*ckin’ long…

It relates directly to my life as the product of an interracial marriage (Japanese-Amerikan daddy & a Scottish/German/Native-Amerikan mama) and as a Hip-Hoppa (MC/DJ) raised working-class in the Eastbay (Richmond, CA) of the “Hip-Hop generation.”

I was at “Peoples’ Park” in Berzerkeley, CA last weekend with some homies for “Hip-Hop in the Park,” and it was quite the spectacle. After kicking it by a circle of diverse, fresh ta death B-Boys and a lineup that included Clyde Carson (of The Team), Mystic, Kiwi (of Native Guns) and Geologic (of Blue Scholars), the stage was being taken down and a cipher began in the crowd. I noticed a bunch of bunch of things here that made me both extremely happy and extremely frustrated.

The first thing I noticed was a Nigerian-Amerikan kid (about my own age) I had met through a friend earlier, absolutely destroying the mic device (someone brought a small boombox/PA and had beats playing). His flow was both powerful and effortless at the same time and it made me do my “I-smell-urine-face.” Another kid with long dreads (no he wasn’t white, even though we were in Berkeley) stepped to the mic and proceeded to get his shine on, kicking a more “spiritual” rap about finding oneness and using his 3rd eye to guide him. All of a sudden, out of nowhere comes a White kid dressed head to toe in what looked to be his best Malice-(of-the-Clipse) impression, and began screaming into the microphone about how hard of an emcee he was and how he “lyrically murders everyone.” White men (including some of my own beloved family members) take up a lot of space sometimes, without questioning for a second that they are in someone else’s “home.” (ie: ‘Member that time you went to a Japanese restaurant and those Cal Berkeley whiteboys were doing “Sake Bombs,” hooting and hollering at the top of their lungs while others tried to enjoy their meals??? You ‘member.)

Hip-Hop expression, and in particular “Rap,” music (the combination of the DJ/producer and Emcee creating syncopated audio) has historically been a vehicle for Black and Brown men to express their truest emotions as a response to poverty and oppression. Just as indignation (being “red-face” pissed-off) does not wear well on white Amerikans in regular walks of life (ie: a white guy angrily stating that minorities are taking all the jobs; (in)directly implying that those jobs are reserved specifically for him and people like him), it especially does not wear well in the realm of Hip-Hop music. Hearing a white emcee rhyme about how hard and angry he is, is not a contradiction to oppression in ANY sense (unless he was raised dirt-f*cking-poor around people of color, which contradicts certain stereotypes, but it’s still a slippery-ass slope and that dude could always write a book about his life and sell a bazillion copies). When this kid came into the cipher, he did not do it with respect or responsibility, but with a feeling of entitlement and a chip on is shoulder that made him feel the need to prove how “down,” he was. I think everyone in the area felt embarrassed and/or disgusted with/for him. “Pass the mic cuzcuz…”

H.E.R. “INTERRACIAL DATING”

If Hip-Hop, as Common so eloquently put it so many years ago, is a “H.E.R.,” there is little doubt in my mind that “SHE,” is a working-class Black Amerikan woman with some Caribbean and Latin ancestry. In the same way that people can question interracial dating; when a person who is not of the people who created Hip-Hop (ie: Black & Puerto Rican kids in the Bronx) is “dating H.E.R.,” questions will undoubtedly arise (ESPECIALLY if the person is not of “H.E.R.” same class background). The thing that makes the whole “Hip-Hop as a woman,” analogy kind of go to sh*t, is the fact that she has NO choice as to who “dates” H.E.R.

While Asian Pacific Amerikans were not around during its inception, there have been a plethora of contributions to the culture on our part. While Turntablism/Scratching/DJing was invented by DJs Grand Wizard Theodore, Grand Master Flash, Kool Herc and carried on by INCREDIBLE DJs like the X-excutioners, there is little doubt in most Hip-Hoppas’ minds that this “element,” of Hip-Hop is largely dominated by Pilipino-Amerikans today (Q-Bert, Yogafrog, Kid Koala (Chinese), Shortkut, etc.). Asian heritage producers like Soundtrakk (Lupe Fiasco), DJ Honda (Mos Def, Blackthought) Dan the Automator (Del, Lupe, Heiro, J5) and Chops (Kanye West, Raekwon, Paul Wall) have been putting together bangin’ beats since I was “knee-high to a caterpillars’ toenail.” Graffiti artists from all over Asia and their diaspora here in Amerika have contributed vastly to the world of “street art,” and Hip-Hop’s spray-paint-counter-culture. B-Boy/Girls of API (Asian Pacific Islander) heritage have been repping for a LONG time in Hip-Hop with true respect and reverance for the artform.

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERIKAN RAPPERS
This brings us back to emceeing (aka the “Voice,” of Hip-Hop expression). It is my personal belief that one of two things happen (or a combination of a bit of both) when an Emcee of API descent takes up the mic, and BOTH have EVERYTHING to do with our history in this country.

Scenario #1:

We contradict oppressive stereotypes by reclaiming a voice that has been stolen from us through emasculation, colonization, appropriation and institutionalized racism, following in our Black/Brown brothers’ and sisters’ footsteps. We use the realm of Hip-Hop expression to honestly express ourselves, contribute to the art form and stand as allies in solidarity with our sisters’ and brothers of color to combat oppression in all its forms.

Scenario #2:

We “step inside someone else’s ‘home’ without an invitation, without removing our shoes,” make asses of ourselves and never question it for a second. We maintain the status of “model minority,” by taking the same oppressor route as entitled, non-thinking whites and appropriate a culture that we did not create, contributing further to the ongoing institutionalized oppression of African/Latin heritage people who are being targeted for destruction.

AN EXPLAN(ASIAN) FOR IT ALL

Scenario #1:

I personally know many Asian Pacific Amerikans who possess knowledge of self and are highly politicized. The common bond I share with most of these folks is that they are usually (but not always) raised working-class around diverse groups of people. This is an incredible advantage but also an incredible disadvantage. It is an advantage because of the privilege that comes with not having any particular group shrouded in “mystery.” Having close personal relationships with many different kinds of people is the hugest gift someone can access because of the way it socializes you away from the world of television’s propoganda (ie: Black people being arrested on ‘Cops,’ Asian/Latinos nowhere to be seen but on channels where ZERO English is spoken, White people EVERYWHERE else, in roles as diverse as “Rambo,” to ‘Ross’ and ‘Chandler’ on “Friends.”). My close relationships with brothers and sisters from other groups “of color,” have provided invaluable insight to myself AND them, in the ways we can support and care about each other. My close relationships with white folks have also allowed me to realize fully, that the TRUE ENEMY of people of color is not necessarily people who are “white,” but the concept of “whiteness,” itself as an identity.

DO NOT GET ME WRONG. Being raised working-class leaves MOST people at an incredible DISadvantage. Because of the internalized anger at, and (many times) eventual ACCEPTANCE that the world is unfair, lives are lost and thrown away EVERY SINGLE F*CKING DAY. This acceptance leads to drug and alcohol dependency, theft, violence, murder, suicide and/or incarceration. It can also lead many times to the exact OPPOSITE affect of the “advantages” I have fore mentioned, leaving people believing that they are alone, isolated and disconnected from humanity – left to fend for themselves in an endless cycle of apathy and self-destruction.

Asian/PI folks must remember that we are by and large, a “3rd World” people. We were the first group to have laws made specifically to keep us from immigrating here (“Chinese Exclusion Act”), the only group of people on the planet to have nuclear weapons used on/against us (TWICE: Hiroshima/Nagasaki), Amerikans of Asian ancestry had their constitutional rights shredded and were incarcerated for their ethnic backgrounds (“Farewell to Manzanaar”), and our (GINORMOUS/DIVERSE) group of brothers and sisters have been colonized up the arse (Ghandi, LapuLapu, HoChiMihn: Holla if ya hear me!) since Alexander “the Great” marched from Europe to Asia. (F*ck your couch Colin “why-do-we-have-the-same-nomenclature” Farrel. “Alexander” was 5 hours of HOT garbage, blud.)

My API Amerikan Hip-Hoppa brothers and sisters who know their her/histories and do not buy into the myth of our role as the “model-minority,” posses an incredibly unique take on a country that has been largely racialized through a Black/White paradigm. Amerikans of Asian & Latino heritage view the U.S. through a lens that is neither “Black” nor “White.” Asians and Latinos are in some (and/or many) ways able to escape forms of institutionalized racism that Black Amerikans face on a daily basis (ie: Fair-skinned Asians and Latinos who are able to pass as “White” being less likely to be the victim of police brutality). But while Black Amerikans are treated as “2nd-class Amerikans,” Amerikans of Asian and Latino ancestry are not generally accepted by Amerikans (or the rest of the world for that matter) as true “Amerikans.” (I just said “Amerikans,” like 67 times. =P)

Using Hip-Hop as an instrument to give voice to the working-class API-Amerikan experience is a direct contradiction to racist stereotypes that we are not Amerikan. If the MC is male, it contradicts the racist notion that we Asian men are weak-willed, quiet, submissive, a coward (“yellow”), or that we exist at all. Our INVISIBILITY itself(!) is challenged outright. It is a direct contradiction to our role as the “model minority,” in that it expresses the way “class-ism” under capitalist oppression has affected our physical and psychological wellbeing and that we are NOT (as a ginormous/diverse group of Amerikans) benefiting under the current power structure. It is my personal belief that if you are an Asian Pacific Islander Hip-Hoppa, and being an ally to our Black & Brown brothers and sisters is nowhere in your mind, YOU ARE NOT HIP-HOP (mahf*ckin’ period - straight up and down).When Asian Pacific Amerikans use Hip-Hop in this way, with the underlying objective being the obliteration of ALL racist/classist stereotypes/oppression, “scenario #1” is in FULL-EFFECT and somewhere an Angel (of API descent) in heaven gets its wings. =D

Scenario #2:

*SIGH…
This is the part of the “game” that breaks my heart on a daily f*cking basis.

Amerikan “classism” (the oppression of people who are not wealthy) is uglier than being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic after eating a bran muffin and drinking two large cups of coffee… =T (“Bubble-guts” aka “the sharts” does NOT go.)

Don’t stop reading this entry Hip-Hop lovers, but I HELLA LOVE Green Day (yes, the eastbay punk rock band). One thing they have brought to my attention is that there are a good number of white and/or middle class folks who are not only politicized, but DO NOT want to be set-up by Amerika to be oppressors. There ARE actually people who are born into places of privilege who DON’T want that privilege (crazy, I know!).

Let me set it straight that I am NOT for one second, asking any person of color to feel sorry for “white” people, or to give them props for not buying into the bullsh*t. I know personally that the majority of P.O.C. have explicitly and implicitly gone through too much grief, humiliation and hurt (on a daily basis) to even consider that and that IS NOT what I am asking you to hear. The point I want to bring to the table is that our API (and Black/Latino) brothers and sisters who were raised in white suburbia were UNDOUBTEDLY made to have a hard time and to feel outcaste in some way. As I have been privileged enough to know through my personal experience, both working-class AND middle-class life, the difference I have seen between these two walks of life is that OPPRESSION HAS A KINDER FACE IN MIDDLE-CLASS AMERIKA. I am not saying that I wish I could have been raised in a homogenous, sterile, low-brow, community on ridalin, because that doesn’t sound like a particularly “fabulous” childhood. But at the same time, I REALLY could have done without the possibility of my schools closing, getting robbed by neighborhood gangs walking home, and seeing my peers go to jail and/or die.

Here’s my point…and please remember that this is my PERSONAL opinion and ANYONE can feel free to disagree with me.

The voice of Hip-Hop aka ‘Emceeing’ in its purest, most original form (even if you disagree, please try to consider this possibility) MIGHT not be the place for suburban, middle-class, Asian Amerika to figure out its problems and search its soul. I feel personally in this arena, there to be too much of a disconnect between the fore mentioned group and the poor/working-class Black & Latino Amerikans who created emceeing and Hip-Hop culture itself. (ie: “The Joy Luck Club,” by my SHERO Amy Tan GOES, but if she made a rap album about her mama escaping an arranged marriage to a wealthy merchant’s son in China to come to the U.S., Hip-Hop probably woulda been like: “…the f*ck???”)

I believe that “scenario #2” happens most frequently within the API Hip-Hoppa community when middle and/or upper-class API Amerikans who are trying to find themselves, step into “Hip-Hop’s home,” carrying with them the baggage of feeling unaccepted and invisible from a White, suburban upbringing. These feelings of isolation and invisibility are prevalent and authentic because of racism and classism, but if poor/working-class Asian Pacific Amerikans have to enter the realm of Hip-Hop with a deep love and respect in order to gain true entry, Black and Latino Hip-Hoppas will (in my own experience) have even more trouble recognizing a middle and/or owning-class Asian Pacific Amerikan emcee AT ALL.

Due to racism and classism, emceeing (and breakdancing) is an element of Hip-Hop that does not require the accumulation of a lot of money. DJs/producers need a good amount of money for music, computer programs, turntables/CDJs, “serato,” etc. Graffitti artists must spend ludicrous amounts of cash for spray paint, materials, supplies and canvases (unless they keepin’ it gully like the olden days and bombing public and/or private property). Emceeing or “Rapping,” is one aspect of Hip-Hop that poor/working-class Black and Latino youth can access at ANY time in ANY place. While more and more middle-class Amerikans of all ethnic backgrounds are buying turntables and MPCs, rhyming is the one thing that has always been an equal playing field.

It is for this reason that I, along with most raised working-class Hip-Hoppas I know, are NOT quick to run to the store to purchase a rap CD made by an emcee who was is not Black or Latino and was raised middle/upper-class (ESPECIALLY if they are Anglo – see my experience at People’s Park).

THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND WEVILS
Try for a second (as I attempt to close this LONG-ass entry) to think of Hip-Hop as a HUGE garden filled with all different kinds of flowers, fruits, vegetables, flora and fauna of all types. The soil is incredibly fertile and when tended to properly, flowers, fruit and vegetation produce and bloom rapidy. However; as in any garden there are weeds siphoning off water away from the fruit bearing foliage. There are insects, wevils, rats, and other pests that are trying to survive and progress, but unfortunately their progression means the digression and eventual destruction of the garden. (Keep following me, don’t get lost!)

DON’T GET IT TWISTED. I think the majority of Hip-Hop has both a ton of “GOOD,” and some “WEVIL,” in ‘em. While someone like (my “swagadocio” HERO) Lil Wayne rapping about how much money and women he has, isn’t exaclty “liberating” to anybody, the way he does it and the VASTLY intelligent wordplay he uses does a few “liberating” things:

1. He contradicts racist stereotypes that young, Black men with tattoos/dreadlocks from poor/working-class neighborhoods (the 5th ward in NO, LA) will never amount to anything and be poor for the rest of their lives. “B*tch I’m paid, that’s all I gotta say…”

2. He may encourage ghetto-youth that don’t connect with White, Middle-Class teachers or “conscious,” rappers to read books, become educated and expand their knowledge of diction, the English language and their vocabluaries. “Quick-Draw Mcgraw, I went to art school…”

3. His ability to disassociate “the street,” being “hard,” and/or being of “the hood,” with having limited intelligence, just might change the perceptions of ANYONE who listens.

Stunna pop a bottle, baby peel us a blunt
Lets eat and talk about all them n—az we cut
But…you know what? Lets not f–k up our lunch
Thats real sh-t if you ever seen such.
Church.

On the other hand…
While Asian Pacific Amerikan males have been emasculated and face oppressive stereotypes on a daily basis, WE MUST NEVER FORGET that Black Amerikan men were at one point (not very long ago) LITERALLY emascualted, lynched, castrated, murdered, brutalized, kidnapped and enslaved; and up until 1964 (that was and hour ago TODAY, if you think of Amerikan history in relation to how old the earth is), didn’t have any rights in Amerika.

It is my personal frame of reference that if an API Amerikan of any class/ethnic background wishes to participate in Hip-Hop culture/music/expression, we must make a concentrated effort to not be “WEVILS,” in this beautiful garden. We need to plant seeds and tend to our (small, yet amazing) portion of the garden, with love, care and respect, making sure to not trample on anyone else’s blossoms (ESPECIALLY the one’s who created the damn garden to begin with!).

CLOSING (”Shut ‘Em Down”)
I AM IN NO WAY CLAIMING TO BE SOME OMNIPOTENT API HIP-HOP JUDGE AND/OR JURY. I have, due to racism and classism, oppression and privilege, participated willingly AND unwillingly in both “scenario #1″ AND “scenario #2.” I have at times ridden the fine line (particulary in my youth in Richmond public schools), as a partial “wevil,” when it came to this beautiful expression. What I CAN say for sure, is that TODAY, I ALWAYS make concentrated efforts to not be a “wevil” in this (not-so-secret) Garden, and that I keep the destruction of racism/classism, sexism, homophobia and ALL oppression at the forefront of my mind and in my music. I am working everyday to chip away at the feelings from racism/classism, that I have to look and act “tough,” “cool,” “hard,” etc. From the ages of 12-21, these feelings were warranted and those actions in many ways necessary (ie: kids who didn’t posses that “edge” were terrorized psychologically and physically, never had relationships with women, and were consistently preyed upon on a daily basis) but I am beginning to realize fully that this “suit of armor” no longer serves me in the way it once did.

If you read this the entire way through, I’d sincerely like to thank you for caring enough about and respecting the opinion of an Asian Pacific Amerikan Hip-Hoppa. This expression/music/culture saved my life in too many ways to name, and I love H.E.R. like a sister/lover/mother from now until forever. I only pray that this essay can serve as a testament to my undying respect and adoration for Hip-Hop and its UNLIMITED potential. I’d like to end this by quoting one of my HEROS. Saul Williams is pretty much the reason I ever started writing in the first place, and I continue to look to his poetry/prose/rhymes as a compass to my audio-sonic future. This passage is something I think about EVERYTIME I pick up a pen to write a rhyme and it goes a lil sumpin like this…

Most emcees are also concerned about telling their own coming of age stories. Their voices are easily likened to the voices of young poets, often contemplative and introspective to the point of questioning their reality, upbringing, and the society that bore them. Yet, where a special form of attention is paid to crafting a poem or a prayer, it is seldom the same sort of attention used in writing a rhyme. The braggadocio aspects of emceeing are a distinguishing factor. Part of the unique power of hip-hop is its internal sense of competition. Every emcee is automatically pitted against the others. The competitive nature of the art helps create an environment where most are concerned about displaying their skills while at the same time putting down the skills or abilities of others. As in any gladiator-like sport, those involved are most concerned about not leaving themselves vulnerable on any given side. It is this factor that serves to distinguish the emcee form the poet. Whereas an emcee may see displaying his or her vulnerabilities as a weakness, a poet will often see the ability to display vulnerability as a strength. It is when the careful balance between the two is found that hip-hop is at its most powerful…

-Saul Williams

IN DEBT TO H.E.R. FOREVER,
Colin Masashi Ehara aka MC SENBEI aka DJ C+

p.s. This essay could have been 3X(Krazy) as long if I had gone deeper into white Hip-Hoppas and Asian Pacific Amerikan WOMEN Hip-Hoppas. That’ll mos definitely come later. Stay tuned beautiful people.

RISING DOWN

“Rising Down,” is Philly Hip-Hop Legendary super-group, The Roots‘ 8th album and that sh*t is absolutely f*cking fabulous.  

["Rising Up" feat. Wale & Chrisette Michelle]

The album opens up with “The Pow Wow,” a crazy phone convo between Blackthought (Emcee extraordinaire/frontman of The Roots) & ?uestlove (producer/drummer extraordinaire) screaming at what I can only assume to be their manager about being taken advantage of. This meeting of the minds is anything but friendly, but it sets a tone to the album that left me ready for something confrontational and unapologetic.

The first song on the album is “Rising Down,” featuring Mos Def & Stles P. While I LOVE this song immensely (that ?uestlove beat is the hardest sh*t since MC Ren!) I felt it strange to open a Roots album hearing Mos Def. I am a thorough supporter/fan of Tariq “Blackthought” Trotter, and the vast array of guest appreances on this album made me feel a bit cheated as to hearing only a single verse from him on most songs. I DID love that they had folks you might not expect on board with this project (ie: Saigon, Styles P, Peedi Peedi, etc). In comparison to most of Hip-Hop, esecially the newcomers, these dudes can do no wrong in my (highly critical/analytical, rap-nerd-to-the-fullest) book. This crew ALWAYS puts it down and does something totally unique and different with each project they produce. I have yet to see them live (which kills me), but I know it’ll happen someday.

My Fav Joints on “Rising Down.”
- “Rising Down” feat Mos Def & Styles P
- “Get Busy” feat Dice Raw & Peedi Peedi
- “Criminal” feat Truck North & Saigon
- “I Will Not Apologize” feat Porn(?) & Dice Raw
- “Unwritten” feat Mercendez Martinez
- “Rising Up” feat Wale & Chrisette Michelle

 Sonically, this is one of my favorite Roots albums of all time. It probably is #3 behind “Things Fall Apart” and “Game Theory.” I liked it more than “The TIpping Point,” (#4) because of its musicality, but less because I loved the way “The Tipping Point” showcased Blackthought’s meticulous/superfulous lyrical genius.  

This aint even on “Rising Down,” but I have to end with this small tribute to Blackthought along with my begging for him to complete that “Dangerous Thoughts” collabo album (with DangerMouse!) I heard cats talking about a while back.

[The Web off of their last album, "The Tipping Point."] 

(Press Play. Read along. Be amazed.)

And it weights a ton / ‘riq geez motherfuckers I’m a son of a gun / Black master of any trade under the sun / Talk sharp like a razor blade under the tongue / clear my path and come get your captain hung / Trying to breath like black’ll collapse your lungs / Young chump you could choke off the web I spun / I done cleared ‘em out from the threat I brung / You done heard about what set I’m from / My nigga, word-a-mouth little rule-a-thumb / Y’all better bow down when the ruler come / I’m a real hood nigga not a hood-a-lum / The way Thought put it down be confusin’ some of y’all / cats can’t walk while chewin’ your gum ‘n all / With a keyboard got do with a drum ‘n all / School ‘em on stage like I’m doin’ a seminar / Professional type, I’m adjusting my mic / Go to war kid I’ll give you any weapon you like / Give you something to run from, bust off your dum-dum / Stop kid, that hot shit you know where it come from / It’s philly world-wide phenomenom / And reinforcin’ that shit is my 9-to-5 / And when I finish making you recognize / I’m getin’ at a couple civilized women that’s tryin’ to ride / You were waitin’ on the raw to come off the oil / You wanna get the bitches up off the wall / Just to see you smile and enjoy yourself / To keep you in health, this for all of y’all / I’m quick on the draw like Black McGraw / And I can’t tell what y’all cats rappin’ for / My name ‘riq geez and I’m back for more / To get more chips than the corner store / with a portrait of Malcom X on the door / while I’m eatin’ MCs like a carnivore / Matter fact, ease back ‘fore you get harmed / Ring the, warning horn when I’m gon’ perform / The first nigga that move, or disturb the goove / I’m a have y’all flicks on the evening news / Play y’all part - get on y’all P’s and Q’s / And when y’all think Thought, be prepared to lose / Bring money to spend and somebody to lend / And some worthwhile money not twenties and tens / Get took for your tuck right in front of your ‘hens / Who coulda help you nigga, not none of ya friends / Because, I put a black fist under ya chin / Have your physical remains found under the pen / If I’m coming up in the place, I’m coming to win / Wasn’t in it for a minute, now I’m dumbin’ again / ‘riq geez ock, y’all can chat what y’all please / Receive what I’m gonna give back to y’all please / ‘cuz y’all don’t really wanna get clapped with all these / My man, you can take y’all strap when y’all leave / You see the squad come in the place, they all freeze / Ice cold, with his mellow cool breeze / MCs, never showed loyalty yet / Kool Herc ain’t never get a royalty check / I do work, no question, and bomb your set / I’m calm collect, sharp like my name Gillette / RIP my man Gillette / Until I touch the mic, y’all people ain’t seen danger yet / I’m a decorated vet, I regulate and wreck / Never hesitated yet, I’m gettin’ heavy weighted checks / If you would dare ask if I’m dedicated - yes / I spit, live rounds that would penetrate a vest / Nigga, take ya seats I’m a demonstrate a test / How to freak the beats, so gangsta fresh / And it thump, from the east coast to Bangladesh / Big bank, willy gank smoke the thing to death / But hold tight, cuz it’s not over yet / I don’t even feel like I’m not sober yet / And it ring like shots in the projects new year’s eve / And it ain’t even October yet / I’m a big bounty hunter like Boba Fett / Y’all more shell shocked then a soldier get / If the prize in my sights then I’m goin’ for this / Whoo whoo ‘riq geez be the ultimate / I’m the corporate, give me the bulk of this / ‘riq set it on the magnetic ultra tip / Get down how you ‘posed to get / I got nothing to lose, I’m a killer with no regrets / I’m like young LL, cuz I’m hard as hell / Makin’ niggaz screw face like Gargamel / Now I’m all out on my own like Patty LaBelle / Put the pimp game down on your mademoiselle…

Keep the beat goin’
Keep the beat goin’

Church.

(You can’t tell me he don’t look jus a lil bit like THE GS (Oakland) Warrior, B.Diddy.)

(…except, I don’t think Blackthought woulda taken this pic. Wut the wizzle, Boom Dizzle?)

“The future is now, no muting the sound, through music I found my ROOTS underground…”
Please support these incredible mahf*ckas and buy their CD today.

PAZ.
Sen

   

Science F(r)iction: Octavia Butler

OCTAVIA BUTLER (1947-2006) IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL-TIME.

Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first (and as of 2007, the only) science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.

“Genius,” grant indeed. When I first picked up a copy of “Kindred,” I wasn’t too sure what to expect. As a mixed race API male, this was my first ever look into Black, feminist, science-fiction literature and I had my mind rocked in ways I didn’t know it could be rocked. Think Jimi Hendrix/Kurt Vonnegut having a baby with Arundhati Roy/Maya Angelou. SERIOUSLY.

“Kindred,” is the story of Dana, a Black Amerikan woman living a seemingly normal life in the 1970’s, when some crazyass (to put it HELLA LIGHTLY) sh*t goes down…

The novel tells the story of Dana, an African American woman living in 1976 who is repeatedly thrown back in time to the antebellum South. She is unconsciously summoned (through means that are never explained) by her ancestor, Rufus, from the time he is a child through to adulthood. Rufus is white and from a slave-owning family. She also meets Alice, another ancestor, who is forced to become Rufus’s mistress. Dana is placed in the difficult position of making certain that Rufus and Alice have a child, Hagar, who is Dana’s direct ancestor (thus ensuring Dana’s own survival). Dana is also forced to cope with an environment which forces her into slavery every time she enters it.

Each time she travels back in time, she stays longer (Although time in antebellum south is “shorter” than real time. She only goes back in time when Rufus would have killed himself otherwise. Dana only returns to the present when she is extremely scared.

This book was the most imaginative yet vivid look at what affects slavery had on the Black AND White Amerikan psyche. The story goes from an edge-of-your-seat, terrifyingly horrific thriller, to a poignant, introspective story of love and determination. Butler never once eases up and describes in the greatest depths, the horror experienced by her characters and the devastating pains Dana confronts in discovering her bloodlines and ancestry.

While “Kindred,” made me an immediate fan of her work, my personal favorite collection of Butler’s is without a doubt “Lilith’s Brood” (aka “The Xenogenesis Trilogy”). This story is a trilogy comprised of “Dawn,” “Adulthood Rites,” and “Imago.”

The central characters are Lilith and her genetically altered children. Lilith, along with the few other surviving humans, are abducted by extraterrestrials, the Oankali, after a “handful of people [a military group] tried to commit humanicide,” leading to a missile war that destroyed much of Earth. The Oankali have a third gender, the ooloi, who have the ability to manipulate genetics, plus the ability of sexually seductive neural-stimulating and consciousness-sharing powers. All of these abilities allow them to unify the other two genders in their species, as well as unifying their species with others that they encounter. The Oankali are biological traders, driven to share genes with other intelligent species, changing both parties.

So basically…human beings have destroyed themselves AND the planet earth. An Alien race of healers bring us back to life, but in order for Human Beings to survive, we must mate with this “Alien,” species and create a new race of beings. Some understand and submit willingly, others rebel and attempt to kill the creatures that gave us life again.

“Dawn,” is the story of Lilith and her introduction to a new life and a new “race,” of beings. She ends up creating a child with her rescuers (after a multitude of violence/craziness/internal & external struggle) named Akin. Akin is a Human/”Oankali” hybrid. Unlike human beings, the “Oankali,” have a 3rd gender group that is needed in order for these beings to mate/reproduce (bananas, I know).

“Adulthood Rites,” is my favorite in the series and tells Akin’s story. I identified with this story in myriad ways because so much of it calls upon the experience of mixed race people. He is able to move easily among both Human Beings AND the Oankali, but also never feels completely “at home,” in either group. This story also goes deeper than my feeble mind had ever been able to grasp previously, into issues of gender and the fact that it is a dynamic that moves in a circular motion and is not a “black/white” spectrum (bananas, I know).

“Imago,” is about Lilith’s other child Jodhas. Jodahs is born “Ooloi” (the 3rd gender in the Oankali race) and as a hybrid Human/Oankali, is able to change between male AND female depending on his/her/its’ surroundings. The English language does not have a word in its’ vocabulary that describes a sexless being (bananas, I know!).

Another dope piece of Butler’s thought-prose is the final book she put out before passing on to sit by God, entitled “Fledgling.”

The novel tells the story of Shori, who appears to be a 10 or 11 year old African-American girl, but is actually a 53 year old vampire, or “Ina.” The story opens as Shori awakens with no knowledge of who or where she is, in the wilderness, hungry and suffering from critical injuries. Although she is burned and apparently has major skull trauma, she kills and eats the first animal that approaches her. After she kills again and heals, it becomes clear that she has complete amnesia, no memory at all of her former life. After discovering a burned village that feels familiar but of which she has no memory, a construction worker named Wright picks her up on the side of the road, and they begin a symbiotic relationship in which he receives great pleasure from her biting him and drinking his blood. The novel follows her exploration to discover who she is, who the people are who were burned and killed in the village, and why the people who killed them want her dead as well.

This book is (you guessed it!) BANANAS. Shori is a V.O.C. (Vampire of Color) and because of her melanin/pigment, she is less vulnerable to sunlight(!) than her pale, European Vampire bretheren.

Octavia Butler is a testament to the sheer potential of power and brilliance of the human mind and is my SHERO to the fullest. I just began reading “Seed to Harvest,” another compilation that includes “Patternmaster,” Mind of My Mind,” “Survivor,” “Wild Seed,” and “Clay’s Ark.”

The Patternist series (also known as the Patternmaster series) is a group of science fiction novels by Octavia E. Butler that detail a secret history continuing into the future from the Ancient Egyptian period to the far future, involving telepathic mind control and an extraterrestrial plague. A profile of Butler in Black Women in America notes that the themes of the series include “racial and gender-based animosity, the ethical implications of biological engineering, the question of what it means to be human, ethical and unethical uses of power, and how the assumption of power changes people.

BANANAS, I KNOW!

Do ya’self a favor and buy them ALL.

Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006)
Thank you for always droppin’ Science (F[R]ICTION).

With deep love, respect and gratitude,
Colin Masashi Ehara

p.s. Drop that Science…

The Audacity of Hopelessness

I AM SO SICK OF TALKING ABOUT THE ELECTIONS, but after watching Democracy Now today, I need to vent before I kill myself.

Barack Obama had to distance himself further from Rev. Jeremiah Wright again the other day…

On Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama said he was “outraged” and “saddened” by “divisive and destructive” comments by his former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Since the weekend, Reverend Wright has publicly defended himself after weeks of being lambasted by politicians and pundits for his sermons.

[A clip of Rev. Wright's C-SPAN talk]

Top 10 list of why I feel naseous and just threw up in my mouth a little:

1. Wright (in my own opinion) is hitting the nail right on the head in almost everything he is saying, and is having his words miscontrued (over and over again) by the scrurry-ass/white/mainstream/Amerikan media. “You reap what you sew,” (taken from the BIBLE) is turned into: “I hate white people/I want them to die/I am Barack Obama’s closest advisor.” WTF is that sh*t?!?

2. If he wants ANY shot at all at the Whitehouse, Obama has NO choice but to cater to the media & white voters, and distance himself from a spiritual leader he once called “family.”

3. The closer we get to election day, the more Amerikans seem to be desperately looking for reasons unrelated to race, to NOT vote for a Black candidate.

4. Hillary & McCain are a multimillionaire tag-teaming duo, ganging up on a man who has spent the majority of his political life organizing in the working-class streets of Chicago.

5. Everytime a Black person is given a platform to speak and tells the truth, they are labeled “anti-American.” Mahf*cka, THE TRUTH IS ANTI-AMERIKAN!

6. I have never in my got-dam life, heard of a f*cking “super-delegate,” until a Black man actually had a chance at winning the Presidency. “I just recently discovered that some white people count as 9 votes!!!” (Chris Rock)

7. White Amerika has been given the chance (on a silver f*cking platter) to work towards (touching the surface of) healing racial divides for the first time since the 1960’s, and seem to be so scared, they’re pissing it away.

8. Gun ownership rights, wearing an Amerikan flag lapel pin, Gay marriage, Islamophobia, and Obama’s pastor are at the forefront of these elections.

9. The “War” in Iraq, healthcare, the economic recession and what Bush is doing right now, this very second is “lost in the sauce.”

10. I was actually hopeful enough to believe the Amerikan public was ready for HOPE.

I usually try to end on a positive note, but not today. Sorry y’all. This is some utter bullsh*t and I’m so f*cking sick, tired and done with the hypocrisy of our “democracy.”

C

“Escaping From Guantanmo Bay…For Dummies”

I watched “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” last night and it left me with a huge f*ckin’ grin on my face.

Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay marks the triumphant return of the two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. Starring John Cho and Kal Penn as two stoners who can’t get a break, the sequel to “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle,” finds the boys getting themselves in trouble when they try to sneak a bong onboard a flight to Amsterdam. Now suspected of terrorism, they are forced to run from the law and try to find a way to prove their innocence in an epic journey of deep thoughts, deeper inhaling, and a wild trip around the world.

Rife with fart jokes, boobs ‘n butts, copious amounts of Marijuana smoke and Neil Patrick Harris(!), this movie smartly tackles/brings to light, issues of racism received by Amerikans of Asian ancestry (particularly in the wake of 9-11 and the “War on Terror”). I LOVED this movie because I feel like John Cho’s Korean-Amerikan character “Harold,” and Kal Penn’s Indian-Amerikan character “Kumar,” represent the two sides of my psyche. Both are best friends, vastly intelligent/ignorant/educated/cheeba smokers, who also differ in a plethora of ways:

Harold is a hopeless romantic, hard-working, over-achiever, constantly working to better himself, is many times very insecure and is always trying to think logically. He thinks about the future, puts others before himself and is extremely cautious.

Kumar throws caution to the wind. He is a lazy, under-achieving stoner who is always looking for a way to escape responsibility, have fun, enjoy life and is never dwelling on any one thing for too long. He primarily puts his own happiness before others but almost always learns from his (many) mistakes.

I heart Rob Cordy (of the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart). His character “Special Agent Fox,” is SO out-of-pocket, it’s incredible. From pouring a can of grape soda onto the ground in front of a large Black man, to pouring a bag of pennies on the table in front of two Jewish kids to ilicit information as to the whereabouts of Harold & Kumar, Cordry went “balls-out,” as a racist, frightened agent of oppression in the “war against terror.” My wifey thought he “overdid it,” but I thought this cat hit the nail straight on the head (over and over again!).

While I don’t want to hype this moive up too much and leave you disappointed, I recommend it in the highest regard. If you love comedies that are so stupid they’re smart (ie: Dumb ‘n Dumber, Zoolander), H&K pt.2 is right up your alley. Look for a special cameo appearance from our very own “Thief in Chief,” George Walker Bush. *ZING!*

["Oh SNAP! Harold & Kumar are some funnyass Comeditizers!"]

Asian Amerikan men (who aren’t martial artists) in the spotlight like yee.
Senbei

“We Takin’ (Baseball) Ovaaa!”

Japan/Asia is seeing more and more of its best Baseball players come to Amerika and rep in the best professional Baseball league in the world - the MLB. This post is dedicated to Baseball players of Asian Pacific Islander heritage who reppin’ way too hard in our country’s “favorite pastime” (besides killing poor, brown people that is) *wah-waaaah*. =T *Ahem* Back to Baseball…

For a LONG(ass) time, most of Major League Baseball thought Japanese/Asian ball players could only be effective as pitchers. With NO disrespect to Daisuke Matsuzaka or Hideo Nomo (Where They Be At?), this post is for the “position players,” of Asian ancestry doing it big in “the Bigs.”

Kosuke Fukudome (”Koh-skay Foo-koo-doh-meh”) is goin 18-Dumbo right now for the Chicago Cubs.

Fukudome reached base five times Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with two walks. He has reached base in his last seven plate appearances to boost his on-base percentage to .477. The Cubs improved their league-leading OBP to .371, thanks in no small part to the ‘Fukudome effect’ on the rest of the lineup.

.477 on-base-percentage? God(zilla) that is f*ckin’ incredible! “Fukudome Effect,” indeed.

Kurt Suzuki of the Oakland (soon to be the weakass Fremont) A’s and Shane Komine are my mahf*ckin’ boys because as far as I know, they are the only Asian-Amerikans in the major leagues right now (no disrespect to Fremont, y’all just aint Oakland…thass all that is). Leave it to the Bay to host the Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella of Asian Amerikan baseball. Aye!

[Kurt Suzuki: Catcher(!)]

On July 17, 2007, pitcher Shane Komine got into a game in the 8th inning against the Texas Rangers with Suzuki doing the catching. This marked the first time in major league baseball history that there was a battery where both the players were from Hawaii (and of Japanese ancestry!).

Hideki Matsui is always pissing me off because I hate the richass-steal-all-the-good-players-from-other-teams mentality of NY Yankees’ owner, George Stienbrenner. However, the man nicknamed “Godzilla” (is it just me, or that sh*t ridiculously racist?) has been smashing the sh*t outta the ball for some time now.

[The only thing "Godzilla," about this ninja is his salary. AYE!]‘

In his second season, Matsui finished 2004 with a .298 average with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. In 2005, Matsui hit a career high .305 and 116 RBIs. In 2006, Matsui finished his fourth season with a .302 average with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs after missing most of the season due to a wrist injury. He was the American League All-Star Final Vote winner.

Matsui signed a four-year deal for $52,000,000, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki as the highest paid Japanese player in baseball, and securing his place with the Yankees through 2009.

This brings us to my favorite baseball player of Asian ancestry in the Big Leagues today.

Ichiro Suzuki is a got-damn boss. Known simply as “Ichiro,” Suzuki was the MVP AND Rookie of the Year in 2000, last seasons’ All-Star Game MVP, has won a golden glove in ALL his 7 years in the Major Leagues, holds the ALL-TIME MLB RECORD for hits in a season, and is the first Japanese-born ‘position player’ to play Major League baseball. He is considered by most to be the best hitter for average, in the game today.

I grew up playing baseball and while my interest in the game faded as my love for basketball grew, I will never forget my first (athletic) love. Baseball in Japan is as big, if not bigger than in Amerika and with Japan winning the first ever BASEBALL WORLD CLASSIC in’06, the MLB seems to be taking notice.

In the words of DJ Khaled feat. Akon, everyone, and they mama:
“We takin’ ovaaa!!!”

Big LOVE to the Nihon no hito tachi and all our relatives,
Senbei

p.s.

 

Graphic & Highly Animated (pt. 3)

[If you don't know about Usagi, u besta ask somebody.]

*Disclaimer: I am a nerd and I read comic books/graphic novels; however, my ability to admit this fact makes me not as much of a nerd as I would be if I was unable to do so. Funny how I always feel the need to do “nerd(y) disclaimers.” It prolly has a lot to do with the fact that at the schools I grew up in, kids who read comics got their asses whipped and were demoralized physically and mentally by other young men who had “unpleasant” (to put it lightly) childhoods. =T I was neither an agressor or a victim in these situations but understand both why someone would WANT to read comic books, AND why someone who didn’t have electricty in their house/food on the table would wanna whip someone’s ass for having a $1,000 comic book collection at the age of 15. =P
ANYHOO…

“INCOGNEGRO,” by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece, is a graphic novel and is absolutely f*ckin’ crazy.

Zane Pinchback, a reporter for The New Holland Herald of New York, is a black man who can pass for white. Zane uses this ability to go undercover to investigate lynchings in the 1930s South. “Identity is open-ended,” he proclaims. “Why have just one?” That belief is a theme that comes up in unexpected ways in this engrossing graphic novel, with its smart dialogue and sharp images.

The inspiration for “Incognegro” comes from the personal and professional experience of its writer, Mat Johnson. The author’s note reveals that Mr. Johnson, as a young boy, could pass for white and would act out missions as a race spy in the war against white supremacy. As an adult he learned of Walter White, the former chief executive of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who passed for white to investigate lynchings. The 2005 birth of Mr. Johnson’s twins — one “brown-skinned” with “Afro hair” and the other with “the palest of pink skins” and “European curly hair” — also inspires part of the tightly plotted tale.

This graphic novel speaks volumes to the mixed race experience of African-Amerikans during “Jim-Crow Amerika.” The idea of a mixed race person of color infiltrating the oppressor group as a “race-spy,” is absolutely bananas and has conjured up in my brain, ideas of social experiments I might someday take part in. If I were to shave off my facial hair, dye my hair blonde, throw on a vintage-T/birkenstocks/khakis and go to a bar in Marin, I would ask the local alcoholics what they thought about the Vietnamese/Asian population in the county. The only challenge from there would be not choking a mahf*cka out if he said something “outta-pocket.” Hmmmm….

Brilliant story/artwork. A suspense/thriller about an “undercover brotha,” saving his biological brother (who looks just like him but has dark skin) from a lynching in the deep south during the 30’s/Harlem Renaissance. Simply amazing. You need to buy this one yesterday.

Y: The Last Man is written by Brian K. Vaughn and illustrated by Pia Guevarra. It is the story of Yorick Brown, an escape artist who is the lone human male survivor when a plague simultaneously kills every single mammal with a Y chromosome on the face of the earth (everything w/ a penis = dead.)

In the series, on July 17, 2002, something (speculated to be a plague) simultaneously kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome - including embryos, fertilized eggs, and even sperm. The only exceptions are Yorick Brown, a young amateur escape artist, and his Capuchin monkey Ampersand.

Society is plunged into chaos as infrastructures collapse and the surviving women everywhere try to cope with the loss of the men, their survivors’ guilt, and the knowledge that humanity is doomed to extinction. Vaughan meticulously crafts the new society that emerges out of this chaos, from the conversion of the phallic Washington Monument into a monument to the dead men, to the genesis of the fanatical ultra-feminist Daughters of the Amazon, who believe that Mother Earth cleansed itself of the “aberration” of the Y chromosome, to male impersonators becoming valued romantically and professionally.

Over the course of their journey, Yorick and his friends discover how society has coped in the aftermath of the plague. However, many of the women they encounter have ulterior motives in regard to Yorick. Though the subject matter of the series is entirely serious, Y: The Last Man is also noted for its humor. Yorick in particular is a source of one-liners, although the other characters have their moments as well.

A world with NO men. I personally know a few (understatement) women who wouldn’t mind living in that world. This series is an in-depth look as to what that would truly look like. This sh*t is ridiculously fresh ta death and I recommend it in the highest regard. Some aspects of life would be much better without men, others…not so much (read and you’ll see). Rife with tongue-in-cheek gender critique/dialogue, this series is nothing short of fantabulous and is an eye-opening look at the life of “the last man” on earth. MUY STUEY.

Keiji Nakazawa’s “Barefoot Gen,” may be the most profoundly moving comic/manga I have ever read. It tells the (autobiographical) story of Gen Nakaoka: a young boy living in Hiroshima, Japan, whose family is destroyed and/or deeply affected by the Atomic Bomb in 1945.

Barefoot Gen (はだしのゲン Hadashi no Gen) is a Japanese manga series by Keiji Nakazawa, which was published by Chuokoron-Shinsha between 1973 and 1974. It was subsequently adapted into three live action film adaptations directed by Tengo Yamada, which were released between 1976 and 1980, two anime films by Madhouse, which were released on 1983 and 1986 respectively. In 2007, a live action television drama series adaptation aired in Japan on Fuji TV over two nights, August 10 and 11.

The series begins in 1945 in and around Hiroshima, Japan, where the six-year-old boy Gen lives with his family. After Hiroshima is destroyed by atomic bombing, Gen and other survivors are left to deal with the aftermath. The story is loosely based on Nakazawa’s own experiences as a Hiroshima survivor.

In the aftermath of the Atomic Bomb, Gen has to face a plethora of disastorous ordeals that seem to test the limits of the human soul. This series is a testament to the anguish and suffering that poor/working-class people of Japan faced in post-war times. Disturbing at times, but always remarkably moving and brilliant, Keiji Nakazawa’s “Barefoot Gen,” makes me proud to be a son of Japan. Nakazawa’s imagery is as beautiful as it is haunting and if you are of Nikkei ancestry and haven’t read this, “get on the good (bare)foot,” and cop it immediately. All people of Japanese ancestry must never forget that we are the only people who have ever had nuclear weapons used on us.

[Atomic Bomb scene from the "Barefoot Gen" movie: (viewer discretion is advised)]

*I HATE to be a vehicle for advertisement, but AMAZON got dummy (”a multitude of”) deals. I saved a TON of loot ordering books/comics through them.

Have a beautiful day my folkers in the traffic. Remember to support good art, no matter what medium it comes in.

Highly Animated,
Senbei

GRATITUDE.

Peace Party Peoples,

I am using this post to THANK sincerely, the good friends/allies/familia who have shown incredible support for the ‘Senbei & Dynamic Souls present…The Literary Ca(n)non‘ album.

From being recommended as an “iLL Homie,” on (amazingly talented spoken-word cru) iLL-Literacy’s website, spoken of in the same sentence as (HEROS) Native Guns & BlueScholars on TheCheddarbox, to being interviewed by Nichibei Times columnist Alec Yoshio MacDonald, I am extremely taken aback at the love and support folks have shown for our art. I have to give credit and pay ridiculous homage to my brothers Akiyoshi (who recorded and mastered the entire cd) and Kumar, who laid the foundation for this project. Their “canvases” were the perfect platform for me to lay down my poetry and prose. I dedicate this post to them moreso than anyone for making “The Literary Ca(n)non,” possible at all.

Give me a second of your time, to kick a lesson through my rhymes and end the stress that’s on ya mind ’cause I’m a blessing in disguise: / a pale, male, hetero Amerikan, who shares his tales, tested through his heritage / Mindless drones and priviliged folk diminish hope for freedom, but the lines I wrote will tie the ropes we climb to reach the beacon: / Light up at the end of the tunnel, I funnel my humble beginnings into sentences to teach the world what ‘friendship,’ is / The home-stretch: aint home yet. Never seen Japan, the ‘Son of Man’ or got to write the perfect poem yet / but I stay working like my Bachan and Jichan; for all the ones I love telling me: “Hapa-man, preach on!” / Can’t stop, I won’t stop; I’m rockin’ it too hard / Jams knock, I blow spots with Aki & Kumar / Rippin’ a verse; we hit the spliff ’til it hurts, ’cause growing up Biracial is a gift and a curse…it’s hard work. (Senbei - “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”)

Song of the Day:
Yahadanai - “Gratitude”

SO, SO BLESSED,
Colin Masashi Ehara

p.s. DYNAMIC SOULS LIKE YEETADEETADEEDEEE.

Love For Oneself = Hate for Amerika?

THIS IS SOME BULLSH*T.

A colleague of mine emailed me some incredibly disturbing news this morning. Apparently, a Republican Rep. from Tuscon, AZ named Russell Pearce is working on a measure to have all Ethnic Studies classes and ethnic based student groups banned from the public schools out there(!).

Arizona schools whose courses “denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization” could lose state funding under the terms of legislation approved Wednesday by a House panel.

SB1108 also would bar teaching practices that “overtly encourage dissent” from those values, including democracy, capitalism, pluralism and religious tolerance. Schools would have to surrender teaching materials to the state superintendent of public instruction, who could withhold state aid from districts that broke the law.

Another section of the bill would bar public schools, community colleges and universities from allowing organizations to operate on campus if it is “based in whole or in part on race-based criteria,” a provision Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said is aimed at MEChA, the Moviemiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, a student group.

Pearce said nothing in the Legislature precludes teaching about various cultures. What he opposes, he said, are the “hateful, despicable comments” becoming part of public education. What would be illegal, Pearce said, are “race-based” classes.

“Nobody would stand here, I suspect, and try to defend the KKK teachings at a Tucson school or anywhere else,” he said.

[Russell Pearce (is pinker than an Indian River Grapefruit): JERKFACE]

Russell Pearce: Welcome to the Jerkface Awards. If conservative politicians (aka “Crackers”) spent more time conserving and less time attacking Spongebob Squarepants for “being Pro-Gay,” and keeping children of color from learning about their peoples’ her/histories, we would ALL be happier (even you, Jerkface!). Comparing the KKK to a Raza Studies Course is like comparing Adolf Hitler to Malcolm X. While Hitler preached White, Christian supremacy (an idea that has been “mainstream” since the dawn of civilization), X contradicted oppressive forces that railroad people whose ancestors were illegally kidnapped, enslaved, raped and murdered, into prison, poverty, death and dispair. “American values and the teachings of Western civilization,” indeed.

I believe personally that a plethora of white Amerikans are filled with guilt due to the privilege that comes with being of European ancestry (and understandably so). I also firmly believe that some white folks are so overwhelemed by this guilt, that the guilt turns into fear that some kind of retribution is on the way for them. This fear makes them very stupid and creates an inability to make decisions that fall in line with DEMOCRACY, justice, equity and equality. This stupidity would matter not, if it wasn’t for the fact that the majority of people who get to make decisions that affect people of color in Amerika are old, white, wealthy men who fear change like the “black” plague =T. Unfortunately for all those frightened old, rich, W.A.S.P. men, only 2 things are constant in this world/life: Change & CHANGE (sorry blud!).

Being of mixed race is a gift and a curse in Amerika, but something I vastly appreciate about my ethnic background is my abiltity to call out white folks when they are being mentally retarded (and I mean that in the literal sense, not in a way that is oppressive to the handicapped), without being seen as a complete and total “reactionary.” I benefit greatly from my fair skin and was able to dodge certain parts of racism toward Asian Pacific Amerikans because of my European heritage (people thinking I can’t speak English, etc.). At the same time, my male role model growing up was a Japanese-Amerikan man who felt the sting of Asian racism and the shame inflicted by internment, passed on (unknowingly/willingly) from his parents. I have internalized (and am working hard on correcting) Asian-Amerikan feelings that I am not worth sh*t if I am not ALWAYS working hard, that I should not take up much space (be heard), and that I need to prove to people, how “masculine” I am (amongst other things).

I also am incredibly greatful for my ethnic background because white folks are not “mysterious,” to me. This makes me their ally, but far more importantly: their harshest critic. While I am of European/Scottish ancestry, I am not “white.” “White,” is not a people/culture/heritage. It is a made-up/pretend, social status symbol, used by Amerika to uphold capitalism, keep poor people poor and rich people rich. “White Privilege,” means NOT having to think about race and ethnicity ona daily basis. I have NEVER known that world/life. I do however, know white people “inside and out” through family, friends, work, school, etc. and understand that like me, many of them were set-up by Amerika to be the way they are today. “Problems,” (to put it lightly) arise when they are ignorant, and instead of having this ignorance addressed and/or receiving consequences for it, they’re rewarded for sitting by passively while others suffer and/or are destroyed. *Sadness to the power of 1,000,000,000,000,000.*

I could go on for 12 more mahf*ckin’ hours, but I really need to get some work done. To summarize it all:

-F*ck Russell Pearce wit’ a foot in his arse.

-People of Color and poor whites will need each other if anything is ever going to change in Amerika.

-”White” people need to learn about their own cultures and take pride in their own people/histories instead of appropriating other peoples’ cultures (I see y’all looking for Asian girls in my Asian Amerikan Studies classes you mahf*ckin’ rice-kings!).

-THOUGHTFUL white folks need to turn their guilt into anger at our “leaders,” who use the politics of fear to divide Amerika, acknowledge their privilege and work to be allies to people of color.

-Everyone needs to READ MORE and WATCH LESS TV (poison).

-If we don’t blow ourselves up with nuclear weapons before-hand, we’ll ALL be (mixed) people of color someday!

-”People of color, man were f*ckin’ amazing ’cause the sh*t that we put up with is truly f*cked and degrading.” (Senbei)

Thank God/Allah/Jah, it’s Friday.

C+

p.s. READ MAHF*CKA, READ!!!
p.p.s. I just found out that Russel Pearce’s son was shot by an illegal immigrant back in ‘94. This MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS NEGATIVE FEELINGS TOWARD THOSE W/ MELANIN.
p.p.p.s.

It must be remembered that the white group of laborers, while they received a low wage, were compensated in part by a sort of public and psychological wage. They were given public deference and titles of courtesy because they were white. They were admitted freely with all classes of white people to public functions, public parks, and the best schools. The police were drawn from their ranks, and the courts, dependent on their votes, treated them with such leniency as to encourage lawlessness. Their vote selected public officials, and while this had small effect upon the economic situation, it had great effect upon their personal treatment and the deference shown them. White schoolhouses were the best in the community, and conspicuously placed, and they cost anywhere from twice to ten times as much per capita as the colored schools. The newspapers specialized on news that flattered the poor whites and almost utterly ignored the Negro except in crime and ridicule.

-W.E.B. Dubois