STRAIGHT TALK WITH THE GOVERNOR AND MAYOR Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder sat together for a joint interview at WXYZ-TV 7 studios in Southfield (Detroit), Michigan. The live broadcast included questions lifted from emails, a chat-room, and video questions submitted through the Web. This author appears at the 3:15 mark--
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A TEACHER WILL BEGIN TO SPEAK “ Playlist: KRS-One ” is a compilation album featuring the pioneering hip-hop artist KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions . The 14-track set includes songs from his long tenure on Jive Records during the 1980s and 1990s. KRS and the B.D.P. crew were initially lauded as part of the late 80s new-wave of hip-hop performers, bringing updated musical and lyrical styles-- among other things, KRS is credited with weaving a reggae sensibility into many of his works. In particular with B.D.P., KRS-One alternated between stage personas: One was ‘The Blast-master’, given to relentlessly fierce battle rhymes that sought to energize fans and intimidate his rivals (“I’m Still #1”, “Step Into a World”, “Rappaz R.N. Dainja”); the other was “The Teacher”, incorporating everything from Malcolm X quotes to the Bhagavad Gita in social commentary cuts like “Love’s Gonna Get’cha”, “My Philosophy” and “Black Cop”. Nearly every Jive album that KRS recorded is represented here, bu...
FREEWAY CONGESTION Hip-Hop Culture website HipHopDX.Com interviews "Freeway" Rick Ross, the Los Angeleno who spent years in federal prison on drug-charges, and who became legendary in the 1980s for the cocaine/crack epidemic that hit throughout inner-city America. The interview touches on Ross's experiences, including an ongoing lawsuit against popular rap artist 'Rick Ross' (whose real name is William Roberts). The elder Ross is suing his namesake for undisclosed damages. He is also pursuing the creation of a biographical motion picture based on his life-- claiming to have the acclaimed actor Nick Cassavetes onboard as a screenwriter/producer. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1651/title.freeway-rick-ross-reality-check www.freewayenterprise.com I grew up in the inner-city, but I didn't grow up idolizing the "street dudes" a.k.a. the dope-pushers of the neighborhood, the gang-bang guys, etc. I just had other things on my mind, like scho...
OPEN LETTER TO LOCAL AND STATE LEADERS Regarding the recent U.S. – China leadership summit in Washington, D.C., there are lessons that local leadership can learn from this concerning developing a redevelopment plan for the future. Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s recent comments about attracting immigrants with college degrees to Michigan can play a part in this as well. An initiative that needs to happen is to seek out and incentivize entrepreneurs and companies from global regions ( Africa, China, India, Middle East, South America ) to set up shop in Wayne County/Detroit, renovate abandoned buildings and hire locals to work at these new businesses. Our region should be taking the initiative to benefit from globalization and not be left behind by it. Next, when it comes to getting a rail system going here, Chinese consultation on this could prove invaluable since China already has a vast network of mass-transit trains. Building off that thread, when it comes to the proposed Detroit ...
STATE OF SNYDER Michigan governor Rick Snyder has just delivered his first 'State of the State' address, given at the state Capitol building in Lansing: A transcript of the speech follows- http://www.freep.com/article/20110120/NEWS15/110120009/1318/Transcript-State-of-the-State The speech mostly dealt in generalities, which surprised some political observers who felt that some specifics would be announced on how to handle the state's current $1.5 billion budget deficit. Some of the parts of the speech I found intriguing were: An office of urban affairs that will deal with the issues confronting several major urban centers in Michigan, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Saginaw. Openly supporting the Detroit Riverfront International Crossing , a project that would create a joint- U.S. and Canada-owned bridge going spanning from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Currently, a high volume of international trade between the U.S. and Canada goes through the Ambassador Bridge ...
ARIZONA TRAGEDY On January 8, 2011, Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D- 8th District) was one of nineteen victims of the shooting at a Safeway grocery store near Tucson, Arizona where she was meeting publicly with constituents . She was taken into emergency surgery, in critical condition from a gunshot wound to the head. At the time of this writing, after the surgery a physician treating the congresswoman said that he was optimistic about her chances for recovery. The gunman, a Jared Loughner, has been taken into custody. The nation should rightfully be mourning this tragic incident and be supportive of law-enforcement efforts to bring this investigation to closure. However, there are some issues that can be examined from a policy level that can hopefully curb outbursts of violence such as this. Mental Health - The 2010 Health Care Act must be defended against repeal efforts by those in opposition to it. In particular any statutes concerning mental health coverage sho...
STATE OF DETROIT 2011, part 1: Coming of the Nerd If this author hasn't indicated so already, happy new year! Of course, despite the popular saying this time of year of "out with the old, in with the new", the City of Detroit and southeast Michigan are still facing plenty of old issues in the new year. A new governor is now in office in the person of Rick Snyder , the GOP candidate and self-described "tough nerd" who was a dark-horse candidate that surprised even those in his own party, capturing the governorship in a landslide victory over Democratic opponent Virg Bernero. Having had a wide advantage in voting polls vs. Bernero, Snyder opted to only have one official debate, and in comparison to Bernero, Snyder spent scant time campaigning in Detroit. Governor Snyder has promised to have a two-year budget prepared for vote in the Michigan state legislature by July of this year. Among his stated policy priorities are revising Michigan's tax structure,...
REAP THE WHIRLWIND Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and four others stand newly indicted by a federal grand jury. The others charged include Kilpatrick’s father Bernard Kilpatrick (currently a local political consultant), ex-official of the Detroit Water Department Victor Mercado, Kilpatrick mayoral aide Derrick Miller and local construction businessman Bobby Ferguson. A six-year investigation preceded the 38 total indictments—some of the charges include extortion, bribery and racketeering. The junior Kilpatrick is already in prison regarding a parole violation earlier this year. According to articles in the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, Kwame Kilpatrick's entry into ethically questionable practices stretched as far back as his stint in the State of Michigan legislature where he represented Detroit from 1996 to 2001, the year that he was elected as the youngest mayor in the city of Detroit (allegedly there were secret payoffs to allow Kilpatrick to become the Democratic...
COMMUNITY CRIME SUMMIT IN DETROIT In Detroit Michigan at Second Ebenezer Church there was a community town hall meeting held. The subject was crime prevention in the city of Detroit. Hosting pastor Bishop Edgar Vann was in attendance, as was Detroit city council president Charles Pugh, who served as official moderator of the event. There were about 20 or so individuals on the panel, mostly representing different aspects of law enforcment. Among them were members of: Detroit Police Dept., Detroit Public School Police, Michigan DEA, Michigan ATF, Homeland Security, Michigan Dept. of Corrections, Wayne County Sheriffs, and Michigan State Police. Kym Worthy of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office was present, as was the US Justice Dept.'s Barbara McQuade. John Broad, the Presidnet of anonymous tip-line CrimeStoppers Michigan was there, as was an executive of the Skillman Foundation and representaives from local non-profit social-work agencies/Community Development Coalitions. The ...
PUBLIC ENEMY'S BOXED SET HITS HARD http://totalboxmusic.com/store.html Artist: Public Enemy Release: Greatest Sites and Sounds: Bring the Noise, the Hits, Vids and Doc Box Label: Slam Jamz/Total Box Music Greatest Sites and Sounds (Bring the Noise, the Hits, Vids and Doc Box) is the first boxed set release from the storied hip-hop band Public Enemy. Subtitled Chapter 2: 1999 – 2009 , the collection focuses almost exclusively on the group’s post-Def Jam era of recordings, released through Chuck D ’s Slam Jamz label. The set’s content is split up into no less than six parts: three music CDs and three DVDs. The CDs are loaded with 20 tracks each, featuring ten years worth of singles, album cuts, live performance excerpts and remixes from the six studio albums, remix compilations and solo recordings that the band has collectively logged since the tail end of the Clinton presidency. The core lineup of Chuck D, Flavor Flav , Professor Griff and DJ Lord (who replaced Termina...
GOP SWEEP... IS DETROIT IN THE DUSTPAN? Never discount the political schizophrenia of the American electorate. In Michigan, largely self-financed and self-described ‘tough nerd’ GOP candidate Rick Snyder has beaten back Lansing mayor Virg Bernero in the gubernatorial race. Bill Schuette , a former 4th District Michigan Court of Appeals judge, beat Gennessee-County area prosecutor David Leyton in the race for attorney general, and current Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson beat Wayne State law professor Jocelyn Benson in the race for Secretary of State. Snyder is considered by his supporters to be a moderate Republican, and he was the surprise winner in the Republican primary earlier this year, beating out traditional GOP idealogues such as western Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and current Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox . Snyder managed to snag votes from the Republican base of right leaners as well as the conservative Independents, a...
FAT BOYS ARE BACK This week pioneering hip-hop act the Fat Boys have been profiled on TV-One's documentary series, " Unsung ". Think of it as a version of VH-1 Behind the Music , but exclusively focusing on urban music acts. Check the TV One website at http://www.tvoneonline.com to see the entire episode stream online, as well as to see when it will be aired again. In the meanwhile, this author penned a review of the group's greatest hits compilation, originally released in 1997- an updated hits set can be found on Itunes and Amazon.com. Fat Boys All Meat, No Filler - The Best of the Fat Boys label- Rhino As of 2003, despite there being over 20 years of recorded hip-hop and rap music, the genre still has a relative dearth of archival collections. Part of the problem is most rap acts have not sustained careers beyond one or two albums. Another is that many early rap acts recorded for independent - and now defunct - labels, which make it that much harder to assemble a...
DETROIT MARCH FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE On Saturday, August, 28, 2010, a gathering of several thousand participants took place in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Coinciding with the Michigan Democratic Party's nomination convention, the rally was headed up by activist Rev. Jesse Jackson and recently elected United Auto Workers union president Bob King. The march was held on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on Washington in 1963. The march and rally were organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the United Auto Workers union. Along the way, the march grew as convention goers and others joined in, culminating in Campus Martius Park downtown, where a stage was set up. Among the other notables who participated in the march were Mayor Dave Bing, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., state Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero, and his running mate Brenda Lawrence. Conyers, for his part, remind...
THE HATE THAT HATE PRODUCED “Whatever happened to the Gods and the Earths/ They thirst for a pot of gold God worth his birth/ Knowledge is worth more than diamonds/ When the mind is shining, surprise us” Poor Righteous Teachers, “Gods, Earths and 85-ers”, 1996 So, a group of developers plan to build a house of worship in an urban area. As it so happens, this house of worship—combined with a cultural center and recreation gym (open to anyone)—would be built mere blocks from where a terrible crime was committed. Not necessarily a big deal. Considering that houses of worship are generally considered to positively add to the color and appeal of a community, the furthest thing that building such a center should inspire would be accusations and counter-accusations of hate and intolerance? Right? Wrong. In New York City, plans are currently in limbo for an Islamic community center (including dedicated rooms for prayer and religious activities) to be potentially built just a few city blocks fr...
IGNORANCE 2010 “I’ma put it in hard, help these kids…” Shyne, XXL interview. Professional wrestling has more in common with hip-hop than most folks are willing to admit. Most popular rappers tend to have some kind of don’t-test-me attitude. They give proud speeches about how they're going to roll over the competition. Ask them whether all of this is 'fake', you might get a verbal beat-down, or worse. If the mainstream press buzzes about a real-life violent incident with a connection to rap (say, a shooting before, during or after a concert), the favorite retort is, "Hey, it's entertainment, don't blame us." Vince McMahon would be proud. Atlanta native Young Jeezy , interviewed in XXL , maintains that he should be given the crown of authenticity compared to other rappers whose past lifestyles allegedly don’t match up to the themes in their songs. Native Belizean Shyne was recently released from a 10-year prison bid following a trial involving...
'DETROIT 187' IN THE CROSSHAIRS Detroit City Council recently has had a public hearing about the upcoming television drama Detroit 187 ( http://tinyurl.com/25okbjp ). The series, due to air on the ABC network this fall, is filmed in and set in Detroit, focusing on a group of police detectives and officials and the crimes they solve. Michigan's nascent tax-incentives for the film industry played a role in the TV show coming to Detroit; the pilot for the show was filmed in Atlanta , Georgia. Considering how the Law & Order and CSI franchises have long been TV staples, I'm somewhat surprised that it took this long for someone to come out with a Detroit answer to the typically New York-and-Los Angeles-centric police shows. Likely hundreds of people will end up getting direct or indirect jobs as a result of the show's presence. Not only the featured actors and the film production crew benefit, but also local caterers, clothiers, paid extras and various small busin...
SYSTEM OF SURVIVAL The City of Detroit is still embroiled in a public debate on whether to dissolve the currently existing Detroit Public Schools system and reform it under mayoral control-- in this case, current mayor Dave Bing. Most members of Detroit City Council have publicly opposed mayoral control. A ballot initiative was presented to council last month, but council routinely waffled on voting on whether to allow for a ballot initiative to be given to Detroiters this fall that would give citizens the chance to vote on the proposal. http://www.freep.com/article/20100730/OPINION01/7300343/Mayor-must-step-up-on-schools-where-council-failed City Council meetings have turned into depressing gripe-fests, with those opposed to mayoral control being the loudest commenters. One commenter compared the idea of mayoral control reverting Detroit Public Schools to almost a slavery-era state of being. Most polarizing is the suggestion that mayoral control would, by default, rob Detroit citize...