On Monday, June 10th I had a horrible shopping experience at the Kroger Supermarket in Stone Mountain, Georgia (1232 S Hairston Rd, Stone Mountain, GA 30088). I arrive at the store shortly before 2pm. I thought that I was doing myself a favor going to the store at this hour because everyone is at work and there aren’t that many people shopping. I was so wrong. This was the second time that I had been to the store in a week early in the day just to find that they did not have what I was looking for on the shelf. All I wanted was the 8th continent soy milk and a specific juice that I know Kroger carried. Once I realized that I would be leaving the store without my intended purchases again, I decided to inquire with a manager on why…
I went to customer service and asked to speak to the store manager. The employee that was working asked me what was it in reference to. I found this annoying but I made sure not to be rude. “I want to know why you guys don’t have anything on the shelf this early in the day” I replied. She then proceeded to get the manager who happened to be by the self check out talking to another employee. When I voiced my concern, he looked at me as if I was crazy and said, ” I guess the people are buying up what you came in here for.” He then went on to tell me they would like to keep their shelves full and having things in stock but they can’t help what people buy. I used to work in a grocery store. True indeed, people do come a frequent the store early in the day on week days but to completely wipe the out, especially when there aren’t that many cars in the parking lot…. hmmm, someone tried to fry the catfish in hot water on this one…
To be honest with you, I feel like the manager shot me some bs and he was slick rude. His demeanor said, ” wow, are you really asking me about this?” My thing is…. The store wasn’t hardly packed. Not even a little bit. They had a few employees that were out stocking the shelves but apparently they are short handed. I asked him if he was fully staffed for his overnight stock crew. I was so serious. I wasn’t trying to go out of my way and be and ass but I was more than irritated that I burned up my gas to go to the same Kroger that apparently has poor management. What’s going on with the overnight stock crew because something isn’t right?
I do not feel as though I overreacted. I felt like he started saying things to pretty much get me out of his face. I walked away with my container of water that I brought. That was the only thing on my list that they did have out of four items. As I turned my back I said, “Thank you for NOT helping me”. I feel as though the manager was an asshole and they obviously need to hire more people. So to all my readers that are in need of a job, Holla at the Kroger off of Redan in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Here is the address: 1232 S Hairston Rd, Stone Mountain, GA 30088
Also, be sure that you tell them that Kharma sent you because they obviously need the help.
On tonight’s show, we will we tackling health and nutrition. Join ya #1 homie BlaqKharma on The BlaqHour for a two hour talk on health and nutrition. You don’t want to miss out on this show. There is no area off limits as we address feeding our bodies. On tonight’s show we have Ms. Aisha Johnson and Ms. Trazana Staples on the airwaves dropping knowledge. We will be talking about everything from the vegan life style to making baby food, to gardening in doors. This show has a little bit of something for everyone.
You can listen to the show directly at the link below:
Today, news reports are circulating saying that Atlanta rapper 2Chainz was involved in an altercation yesterday on 06/09/13 in San Fransisco, California. I honestly don’t know what to make of what I am hearing. Reports are saying that he and his crew got ran up on, then reports are saying that he got robbed for his jewelry and his wallet. I have also went on to read reports that he was shot twice. Then I read more reports stating that he wasn’t harmed but his body guard was shot… I don’t know what to make of this situation. Is this hype or a cover-up? All I can really say is “COME ON HIP HOP!!!” When will we get enough and why is this news? Apparently, whatever popped off (if something actually did pop off) wasn’t that serious.
There still aren’t enough details revealed to call if this stunt is actual or publicity. Either way, I will say this: I am tired of hearing about rappers and violence. You mean to tell me that Hip Hop artists don’t have nothing better to do than get hymned up in bullshit like this? I guess we got a long way to go. 2chainz hasn’t done much tweeting today. However, the little bit of tweets that he did send out seems to say that nothing happen. Here is what he tweeted:
Rule #1 if a rapper gets robbed people usually post items that has been taken. Rings, chains, watch , money etc. 2 answer that question
Rule#2 if a rapper gets shot he usually go to hospital or dies .
Rule# 3 we definitely got geeked up in San Fran , best smoke in the world. 2 blessed 2 stress
TMZ initially reported on the situation by saying:
2 Chainz was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight Sunday in San Francisco … TMZ has learned … and police say the rapper’s entourage fled “like cockroaches” when it all went down. A San Francisco PD sergeant tells TMZ … cops responded to a shots-fired call just after 4:30 PM. We’re told when they got to the scene, 2 Chainz wasn’t cooperative … saying he wanted to handle it himself. Chainz told police his wallet was stolen and that’s all that happened. (TMZ)
Either way, this is not news people. Whether the situation happened or was fabricated, it’s not important. why aren’t we talking about monsanto or chemtrails…
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“IT IS TIME THAT WE HOLD SOME OF THESE ARTISTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND SAYING. WHERE’S THE MUSICALITY AND REAL LYRICISM?”
The influence of music is powerful. It was Lauryn Hill that made me want to read The Mis-education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson. Along with her raw and intellectually challenging content, she had an extensive vocabulary that she was not afraid to use in her songs. Because of her, I wanted to learn the meaning of words like: Defecate and reciprocity. She reigned during a time where it was cool to be conscious and informed. Intelligence was embraced and admired. Loving and paying attention to self was respected.
No one ever signs up to be a role model (unless if you’re Bill Cosby) but in certain things you are automatically thrust into that position whether you like it or not. Hip Hop is one of those things. How many children and even adults look up to these artists and aspire to be like them and/or the life that they portray? These Hip Hop artists are in a powerful position: They influence. For instance, rapper Rick Ross has just as many haters as he does followers. However, when he dropped his 2010 hit song, BMF (Blowing Money Fast) there were so many uniformed youngsters that took to Google to learn the story behind the names that he was referencing. Who was Larry Hoover and Big Meech? Just the thought of people seeking out the answers to those questions because of that song shows the power of influence. Regardless if they are right or wrong, people aspire to be like a lot of these rappers. That means that if a rapper that they admire says something is cool, people are accepting of that and strive to emulate that “cool” Those who didn’t know about the GD’s or Black Mafia Family informed themselves because Ross was apparently up on them. That is fact.
With all of this being said, my question is: Why choose to represent the stupid stuff when we clearly don’t have to? How did we get to a point where most popular Hip Hop artists seem to be good for is referencing drugs, violence, and sex to sell records? How can we call this garbage “music”? Don’t get me wrong, Hip Hop isn’t the only genre that has made such radical changes over time. Autotune and Melodyne has given hope to some of the most talentless critters walking the earth. As a result, a lot of the unheard, talented ones suffer. You can have the greatest gift in the world but if the industry doesn’t approve of how you look, you can’t have your dream.. What kind of mess is this?!?!?!?!? Hip Hop is the genre that I feel compelled to address because it sits so closely to my heart. Watching the deterioration of this art form is an experience that has been very ugly and unlikable. It’s like being a mother and watching your baby go off the deep end. You and the child both know that they are capable of doing better yet they choose not to. It hurts to watch. All Hip Hop doesn’t have to be “fluff” or overly conscious. That is not my argument. I simply just do not understand how you go from absolute freedom and true artistic expression to sell records to popularity tactics such as: mumbling, zero-lyricism, grunting, and not saying ANYTHING… You mean to tell me that this is what people prefer to hear today?
Today, there is no such thing as discretion, and respect is totally out of the window. I’ve loved Hip Hop ever since I was a little girl. I knew my love was official when I first saw Shock G from Digital Underground perform “Humpty Hump”. I wanted to be just like him because he was so cool. He was really having honest fun in that crazy get-up that he was wearing. As I grew older, I knew that it would be Hip Hop and me forever when I was exposed to a lady’s perspective. Salt n Pepper and Queen Latifah were my idols. It was because of those ladies that I knew I wanted to rap. I knew that a woman could compete in a male dominated sport and be just as good if not more impactful with the mic. There is just something about a raw feminine energy expressed in words over the right tunes. I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else in the world. True, Salt n Pepper were a bit racy but they were grown women, they handled themselves with class and respect. They never completely slutted-out to sell records.
As we approached the mid 90′s, more female artists began to come out and make that transition towards sex. The female rapper slowly began to steer away from lyricism. I was fascinated by the way artists like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah carried themselves. When Queen Latifah wore her crown, I automatically respected her. Just seeing her display herself as a Hip Hop queen made me proud. Mind you, I felt like this and I was a little girl still green and innocent to life. When did we digress from this? When the Hip Hop sexual revolution hit, it was like, ” Okay… I see ya’…” Now it’s like, “Damn, I see ALLLLLLL of you…” Teasing the imagination no longer exists anymore. I’m not saying that female artists should be passive and submissive, they weren’t in the 80′s and 90′s. However, they should be more respectful of themselves and the images that they portray. Seeing how powerful that Hip Hop has become, society’s future heavily depends on it. If hip hop weren’t so powerful, it wouldn’t be the soundtrack to most television commercials and even Disney Channel movies. Hip Hop was the genre that birthed classics like: U.N.I.T.Y, Ladies first, She Thang, and Poor Georgie. Since the corporations have gotten a hold of it, things have changed. I don’t like the state that we are in. Is Hip Hop deceased?
What’s up with all the, “Bitch this” and “That’s my hoe too”? I don’t know what’s worse: women being referred to in this manor or women accepting a derogatory reference like this as respect… “bad bitch”. The cost for self respect isn’t that high these days apparently. Women are allowing their power to either be stripped away or they just hand it over. All for what? Time has been way overdue for us to examine our behavior and way of thinking. Children are watching and they soak up EVERYTHING.
Outside of super producers that make the melodic tunes, why do we patronize songs that are non-creative, oppressive, derogatory, and violent? How did we grow to a point where we black out verses to only hearing a redundant hook and a strong baseline? I missed the days where lyrics reigned supreme. I remember the days when buying CD’s and reading the lyric book to your favorite songs was like an event. At one point we waited to hear what our favorite artists were saying. Listening isn’t even required today. So…. Why exactly do we have… music? Is it even fair to call it that anymore?
“And since we all came from a woman Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman I wonder why we take from our women Why we rape our women, do we hate our women? I think it’s time to kill for our women Time to heal our women, be real to our women And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies That will hate the ladies, that make the babies”
–Tupac 1993
“Keep ya head up”
“I’m bout that water foset pussy, I swear that fuckin wet I’m standing over the kitchen foset whippin up the bricks With these niggas keep on beatin the door, they don’t wanna spend a check The jacket tried to steal my lawn mower, he go wet”
–Gucci Mane 2013
“Hood Bitches”
In the 80′s and 90′s hip hop had a fair balance. Today, not so much. I wont put on like Tupac never called a woman a “bitch” or never screamed, “Fuck the World” when he did. What I loved and appreciated about him is that, he taught with his music. He showed us what can be done with Hip Hop. In songs like, “Brenda’s got a Baby”, “Changes”, and ” Dear Mama” he painted lyrical pictures of what life was really like in some of our ‘hoods. People respected him for keeping it real. Yes he was Thug Life but he was real life too.
If you play the game correctly, you can come out wealthy. That’s no secret. However, since greed and the organic, cut-throat nature of “business” has gotten to be what the music industry is most known for now (tragic), it’s understood that getting money is something to be proud of. How did we go from pride to straight stupidity? I must have been in the bathroom when that memo went out. Yes, throughout the times artists have taken money-inspired pictures but DAMN. Today, a lot of these artist have advertised that they are “free licks” waiting to be had. Treating money like toilet tissue is tacky and quite insulting. I can’t help but wonder what does one get out of this behavior. How does it feel to just squander money away when you have families right here in the United States that are struggling to make groceries last a week? Where is the sense in this? It is embarrassing to show that you came up and got paid and still don’t understand the value of a dollar. I appreciate artists like Master P. I admire not only his claim to fame but his business sense. People may laugh at some of his music now but, when Master P entered into the game, he gave artists a real life example of what it meant to be financially savvy and business minded. He showed us how to put our money to work for us and not visa versa. That was gangster, not making it rain on b*tches….
Treating cash like trash is not honorable nor cute. It’s just dumb. Money is a major part of life but it is not the most meaningful. What bothers me is the amount of these rappers that rhyme about getting money by any means necessary. It doesn’t matter if they have to rob, rape, steal, or kill. What’s even more insulting is when you hear about a lot of these rappers lives before they started rapping. In most cases, there isn’t one bit of Tony Montana or Frank White in their past lives yet they’ll scream “murder” or “dope” all over a mixtape. Why are you flexin? Let’s be real, I seriously doubt that Rick Ross was a gangster being a Corrections Officer before the deal.
Another thing that has go to go is the endorsement of all of these unknown street drugs that are coming about. Really Hip Hop? Throughout time, plenty of artists have made songs talking about a drug. ie: “White Horse”, “Life in the fast lane”, and “Cocaine”. Let’s not forget the 70′s. Nearly everyone was a flowerchild or stoner then. Today there’s a new epidemic going on. I notice that nearly every rapper makes a reference to Molly or Lean in their music (Moreso molly). What’s crazy is, that they drop the name in a verse like it is a part of a marketing/advertisement plan. Everyone from T.I to 2Chainz have all referenced this particular drug. Lil Wayne endorses everything and allegedly almost killed himself as a result. Lean is not too far behind molly in terms of popularity and reference dropping. My question is: Who is paying rappers to endorse these drugs that have been known to kill and maim people for life? What these artist fail to realize is that, when they endorse this crap, people are listening and will often times become the “test dummy” because they want to experience what they heard their favorite rapper talk about in a song.
In conclusion, I am not saying that things do not grow and change. That’s a part of life. My argument is: We went from a positive progression to a devastating low. What is really going on? Today, if you are packaged correctly, record execs and A&R’s will “create” you some talent and pimp you on a puppet string and make millions. I remember when Hip Hop was saving lives and helping us through. My adolescent years were tough. Sometimes I feel like Common and Tupac saved my life on many occasions. My household was crazy… Ultimately, it is up to us the patrons, to demand a change. Stop buying the bullshit and support real artistry again. I refuse to believe that everyone is truly happy with Hip Hop’s current state. The music is so bad that listening to local radio isn’t even worth it anymore unless if you prefer to hear the same songs back to back in an hour. Where is the quality? Why do worthy artists such as Killer Mike, Lupe Fiasco, and Talib Kweli get barely any airplay? The record industry is twisted. We can agree upon that all day but now is the time that we think and take accountability for our words and actions. As I said before, children are watching and they soak up everything. We can easily say that that isn’t our problem or ask where the parents are. It doesn’t matter. One day, we will surpass our prime and the youngsters will run everything. What kind of world do you think we will be living in then?
I got my hands on this book when I was a Sophomore or Junior in High School. My best friend at the time gave me a copy from his mother’s collection. I had no idea that I was being pushed into the peak of my awaking. This book opened my mind on so many levels. I tell people that this was the book that made me understand the meaning of “struggle”. Assata Shakur broke it ALL THE WAY DOWN in her autobiography. When someone struggles to learn or do something, that’s a great sign. “Struggle” is a sign of fight. When you struggle to do something, you are fighting. You are determined. Fighting isn’t always a physical or verbal confrontation. High school for me, like so many others, was a hard time in my life to go through. It was her world and perspective on life that kept me from submitting to some of the daily pressures that I was faced with when I was in school. I received that message at the right time in my life. In reading this book, I got a different point of view on politics, equality, justice, and government. I also got to see how corrupt America really is. Plain and simple, why are we placing a bounty on an innocent woman’s head?
I dare to say what a lot of the “conscious class” is aware of but wont speak. I remember reading the first page of the book where she opened up describing what felt like an explosion going off in her arm. She had just gotten shot. Mind you medical evidence later supported that she was shot in the back with both of her hands up… She was describing the infamous scene that got her convicted. The setting was on the New Jersey turnpike. Assata Shakur along with Zayd Malik Shakur, and Sundiata Acoli were all stopped by two state troopers. The press reported it as a shootout that happened that day, but I remember reading in her words how she and her comrades were unarmed. Two people died that day: Zayd Shakur and New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster. What leads me to believe in her innocence was the events surrounding her life leading up to that fateful day.
The government was recording her phone conversations way before people ever even heard of a wire tap. Not to mention, the formation of America’s COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) was created by J. Edgar Hoover. Everyone knows what kind of man Hoover was, lets be real. Hatred for black life oozed out of this man’s soul. He designed the program strictly to take out “radical” black liberation groups and individuals. The COINTELPRO is the reason why the Black Panther Party was dismantled the way that they were. The Black Panthers were not a violent militia out to kill all of white America as they were painted out to be. The Black Panther Party wanted fair and equal right for black people. Ultimately, they were a political threat. Everything is all good and dandy until you start messing with politics. Their ten-point system proves the kind of people that they were. However, the Black Panther Party was not a submissive group. They fought fire with fire when necessary. In addition to improving the community, they concentrated on the black family unit. They always had tutoring programs, assistance programs, and self defense programs to name a few. They simply wanted a better Black America. Can you really fault the panthers for that? America was just coming out of slavery and Jim Crow was in full affect.
It is key figures like J. Edgar Hoover (The first director of the FBI) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (Philadelphia) that played a major role in the demise of a lot of our black ex political prisoners. Don’t believe me? Reexamine the cases of: Mumia Abu Jamal, Assata Shakur and Sundiata Acoli, The Move-9, and Jamil Abdullah Alamin. These names are just scratching the surface of the truth. In each of these cases, there was room where police could have went in to get more evidence. However, collecting that extra evidence would have cleared all of these people’s names. In Mumia Abu Jamal’s case, there are findings that the bullet that shot and killed Officer Daniel Faulkner couldn’t have possibly came from the direction that Mumia was faced in. In recent years, the question of whether or not if his gun was the actual murder weapon is coming into play. There have also been questions of the authenticity of the “witnesses” testimony. The streets are saying that the three witnesses were paid. Lack of evidence is not the only thing that raises a brow. In each case, these people were ultimately convicted because a cop was killed. Everyone knows that if you even think of killing a police officer or any other kind of official, you’re automatically going under the jail before they even decide whether or not to let you live first. What makes it so bad is, it seems like nearly all of these cases were sloppy inside jobs. This group of people were considered a huge threat because they possessed two things that scared the hell out of white supremacists everywhere: Power and influence.
Assata Shakur is a symbol for power and hope. In the end result, she fought and struggled for her freedom. She defied all odds and beat the system while in it. I bet that that’s the part that pisses off our government more than anything. Rightfully so, she pimped the system. She now resides somewhere in Cuba, enjoying life at the age of 65. She was granted political asylum in Cuba by Fidel Castro in 1984. To read her story in her own words will open your eyes. If you do not have a copy of her autobiography, I suggest you order one online. This book was created to change and save lives. She wrote this book shortly after she arrived in Cuba. She didn’t go into her escape at all. She was careful to to rat anyone out who was involved in her exodus. Details and developments later came out after numerous investigations. Mutulu Shakur (Tupac’s Stepdad) was ultimately charged for his involvement in helping her escape to freedom.
I have mixed emotions about what’s going on with Assata Shakur and our US government Since Assata Shakur has fled America our government has unjustly put a million dollar bounty on her head. Her name has come up even more in the news recently because the government decided to add another million dollars to the bounty in addition to putting her on the FBI terrorist list. This is good and bad for several reasons. It’s good because, the younger generation who are curious will take to Google and want to know who this woman is. All we need now is for Rick Ross or Lil Wayne to drop her name RESPECTFULLY in song and a revolution just may be started in her name. Don’t shoot me for dreaming big…
For some reason, all of a sudden, the government is even more interested in bringing her back to the states to serve time for a crime that she allegedly committed. My question is, why now? Mind you May 2, 2013 made 40years since the crime happened. What is this a distraction from? Instead of talking about Assata Shakur, why isn’t the news talking about what’s really killing America’s civilization: GMO foods, Chem-trails, Prison culture, the voting system, The hokes known as “currency” etc. Labeling this queen as a terrorist is absurd. If you drop a piece of gum on an airplane these days, you are considered a terrorist. I want to know what is the real reason for giving her this label. Are they using this situation as a pawn to get to Fidel Castro. That’s not too far fetched when you look at politics these days. Why does the American government want a 65 year old innocent woman this badly?
My brother put me on to this artist by the name of Don Dada from South Carolina. His talent blew me away. We headed back to our hometown from Charlotte, North Carolina watching a few of his videos on Youtube. When I saw he whipped out the pencil and took it back the high school rap battles in the Cafeteria.
I will first and foremost start this article off by saying this: I am not hating on Boys II Men doing an Old Navy commercial. In fact, I think that this is great. HOWEVER!!!!!! Old Navy’s creative team should be fired behind the fukkery that they put out. When I first seen the commercial, all I could do was cover my mouth, which was wide open, and shake me head. All I could say was, “wow”.
First off, when you get a legendary group like Boys II Men to come back endorsing your product in a commercial, it needs to be put together better than this half assed commercial. My daughter could have done a better creative job and she’s still cooking in the womb. Outside of hearing their voices, the commercial really didn’t have any creative direction. Not to mention, they completely butchered one of the groups biggest hits of their career, “I’ll make love to you”. They only sang two lines of the song, which was rewritten for the commercial, and then harmonized the rest. It was like Old Navy really put out a commercial that was incomplete and tried to get a “pass” with it. FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The song sounded incomplete and slightly auto-tuned. I guess the creative team didn’t have any words for this part so they just had the brother’s hum. If that part of the commercial were properly executed, it would have been that much better. I feel like the Old Navy creative team really left us hanging with this one. Yes we got the point that their white jeans are on sale this summer but damn….
Join ya number one homie BlaqKharma for the return of the BlaqHour Radio Show on On the Rise Radio this Monday night from 9pm to 11pm. I have two dynamic artist that will be blessing me with live exclusives.
Christopher “KP” Brown
First I will be interviewing Christopher “KP” Brown. He is a spoken Word artist originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He self published his first book of poetry at the age of 16. Since then, he has taken the poetry/book world by storm writing over 2,000 poems and catapulting the movement of Rhythm and Words to new heights. This man breathes poetry. Join us during the first half of the BlaqHour when we discuss his “poetry 247″ movement as well as his independent publishing company: 2 Pens & Lint.
Temper Boi “Been Reppin”
For the Second Half of the Evening, I will be interviewing one of Atlanta’s hottest premier Hip Hop Artists on the rise: Temper Boi. Straight from the Nawfside of the city, he is a part of Atlanta’s independent record label S.T.P. He joins of for candid conversation to talk about What he is doing since the major success of his first indie project, “Been Reppin”. We will also be listening to a few new tunes from his next up and coming project, “Anger Management
Don’t miss out on these two dope artists and some of the best indie tunes from EVERYWHERE. We’re back on, this Monday night is going to be LIIIIIIVVVVVEEEE!!!
