BlackMan Time

Archive for May, 2005

This started out as a forum post in which I asserted that reggae music is the most important Black music form. I already knew some facts but once I started to make a list others came to me.

Jamaica is only 150 miles long by around 50 miles wide. It is the biggest English speaking island sitting in the Caribbean basin and have a population of around 2.7 million.

In essence it is very small place but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in international clout! Locally the believe say Jamaica is lickle but talawah! These then are just some of the reasons why we think Jamaica has made such an impact on the world…

First (and most crucial) is the rap sound. Without Jamaican dub music rap would not have even been born. Jamaican people like King Tubby, Lee Perry, Augustos Pablo, Prince Jammy, Scientist and others who specialised in dub laid the foundations to sounds that a New York-based Jamaican called Cool DJ Herc used as the basis of his raps. This is how rap started: it used Jamaican dub sounds as the background to people talking (rapping in rhymes) over the music.

The remix! In Jamaica this is the technique of versioning a song i.e. taking an existing melody of an old song and splicing (mixing) new or even old sounds on top of it. This technique is commonly used today in Jungle and Garage music.

Sampling and resampling. This is closely connected to the remix. The first Jamaican samples were used in the mid-1960s by reggae pioneers like King Tubby, Prince Buster, Lee Perry and others.

Reggae music! A roots based music which invariably makes reference to Rastafarianism and its deity Haile Selassie, the Bible and other religious symbols. But its ability to tackle any subject, in any genre has given it mass and cross culture appeal.

Dancehall music. The basis of this is usually reggae but with the focus on baser subject matters, faster paced rhythms that blends in well with the sensibilities of party going people’s vibes.

We Invented The Remix!

The 12 inch vinyl or long play record. This was around 1975. This gave rise to what is still known today as the “Extended Mix” or “Long Play” version of a song.

The 7 inch vinyl. The Guinness Book of Records still has Jamaica listed as producing the most vinyl (plastic records) than any other country in the world and this was long before CD, DVD, MP3 and other new wave formats became more fashionable.

Urban language. Words and/or phrases like “ganja”, “wheel and come again, mi selector”, “wicked”, “ragga”, “pum pum”, “maroon”, “yardies”, “claat”, “no problem”, “bad bwoy”, “rude boy”, “rudie”, “specie”, “dancehall”, “skank”, “Rasta”

Rasta, rastafari and rastafarianism as religion, lifestyle and even fashion!

Bauxite. In the 1960s/early 1970s Jamaica was the world’s biggest producer of bauxite which is the raw material from which aluminium is made. Bauxite was important back then because the so-called “space race” (led by America, hotly pursued by Russia, China, Cuba and others) was in full swing and those spacecrafts were usually made from aluminium.

Yardie. We are not necessarily proud of this but neither are we ashamed of it either but Jamaican “badmanism” is known throughout the universe fanned mainly by mainstream media always looking to scapegoat Black people in the UK for sensationalism to increase newspaper circulation.

Political, Rebel Music. Reggae’s roots as a protest music is still preeminent in the eyes and minds of many freedom fighters and rebels around the world. Perhaps the most well known reggae protest track is “Issues” adopted by none less than Amnesty International and others as their song theme.

Produce like rum, coffee, tobacco and others. Although not necessarily leaders in all these areas Jamaica led the field at one with these items.

Watch this space: there is more to come!

I am convinced more than ever before that to some Black people the colour of their skin is a prison. Only they are not even aware that they are in jail!

They refuse to see themselves unless they are comparing themselves with other people, most notably white people. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t compare our progress against others, but I feel if we are comfortable with who we are then there would be no need for comparison against others. We should be our own measuring stick.

I am tired of meeting Blacks who are whiter than white people. That is, Black people who act like a “Gone With The Wind” maid: always willing to please “massa”, down to crying tears when “massa” hurt too.

Every bone in my body feel that respect is only given to people who are strong enough to command it. Who the hell respects weak, puny people? This is a world where only the strong survives and the weak gets left-overs, if they are lucky! The meek does not inherit the earth! If anything the meek inherit the hurt!!!

So, rather than try to appease whites I think anyone who considers themselves Black conscious should be more assertive and strong. They shouldn’t necessarily seek to glory in how many white friends they have, but rather in how many Black ones they can still count on.

For what’s the point in gaining a whole world of white friends and losing your Black soul in the process?

So many have asked “what is Black Consciousness?” that I have had to re-examine the term just to make sure that I am still on the right track when I use the phrase myself! I kid you not!

Thing is it seems Black people are still struggling with their identity, even though we can now see more signs of integration and apparent progress being made in the society we live.

This higher visibility is evident in many spheres of life: from being on the right side of George Bush (in the cases of Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell), to reading mainstream news, weather and financial reports on television. Fact is lots and lots of important Black people are out there representing.

Bravo! We applaud this and hope that many more do break through the ranks to do the same.

However, when you look at the relative positions of Blacks in the society they live, particularly in so-called First World countries, you will see that the power is still not being controlled by them. They are merely just small players in the scheme of things.

As long as that situation remains the case, along with discrimination, prejudice and marginalisation, any position Blacks attain in that system has to be looked at with critical analysis. For, if the system as it exists stands mainly to oppress you and you’re a part of it then you’re actually a part of the problem, if you’re not actively doing anything to challenge, overturn or reform that system.

In other words merely existing in the system, progressing and getting on is simply not enough anymore. How can you sit on your conscience knowing that other less fortunate Blacks (or people even!) are being victimised by the very system that is paying you a lot of money because you are such a brilliant operator in it? How is that any different to the African chieftains who helped to capture their village neighbours for slavers in exchange for several casks of rum?

I’ll leave you to think about that for a moment…

Life, it’s so funny at times that I try my best to laugh even when I don’t feel like it.

Take for instance emails I get inviting me to buy fake Rolex watches. Now, I know you can’t get genuine Rolex watches for £25. Typically they cost hundreds even thousands of pounds, dollars or whatever strong currency you care to name.

These represent the best in craftsmanship and to me when you can afford one it represents success in your chosen field. To buy one is to perpetrate two lies. The first is the pretence that X is the case, when Y is actually the reality.

The second lie is deceiving yourself (and possibly others) into belief that showing off a fake Rolex somehow confers or transfer success over to you. In your dreams mate! To the fools who will fall for that kind of trickery they deserve their names.

But due to the regularity with which such spam emails are being sent around the internet, I have to surmise that maybe there are a hell of a lot of fools out there!

Thankfully though, I am not one of them. I do, however, wish that I could go out there and buy three Rolex watches right now! Not because I want and/or need them, but because being able to do so would mean that I am obviously doing well!

If you are an ardent British soccer follower, particularly fans of Manchester United, you must be (still) feeling gutted right now.

Not only was the team beaten by arch rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 21, 2005, but it was particularly irritating considering that United dominated the game and for most of the match was actually the better side.

All un-bias (and even the biased ones!) acknowledged that!

Auntie’s manager Alex Ferguson looked so sheepish and obviously gutted (favourite football cliche word), that he was in grave danger of being scooped up by a butcher, minced, spiced, cooked and served up in a doner kebab!

Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger and his players conceded they were outplayed but praised their ability to absorb the pressure and come out victors.

And that’s the point. In situations like these it is the end result that matters. Not theories or perceptions of who or what was actually the best.

Since Arsenal is a team that I personally support I am really happy for them particularly because they gave Black players opportunity to play based on abilities and not no skin colour or prejudice.

That line will find some people spluttering on their drink or food, but this was actually the case. English premiere league statistics and theories at the time in the 1990s showed few Black players who were regulars in premiere league clubs. Wenger, maybe it was his sensibilities as a French man, didn’t have that problem.

Knowledge like this just goes to sweeten the fact! Well done Arsenal!

The British police is racist. A well publicised independent report by a man called McPherson has said so and this was acknowledged publicly and verbally by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

To counteract this racism the Metropolitan police launched a charm offensive to get more police officers from ethic backgrounds into the force. But it’s hard to shake off what is intrinsic (or second nature) in an organisation. Ando so occasionally incidents come to light. Like the case of 16 year old Kurdish boy in West London last February (2004) whom a London policeman kindly offered to “smash your Arab face in,” without provocation.

When the case went to West London Youth Court last week both officers testified that the youth had used foul language. Details of this came to light yesterday, May 19, 2005.

This is a partial transcript of the exchange between the police officer and the boy (who cannot be named since he is under age), which was captured on the boy’s mobile phone recorder. Checks showed it was recorded at the time of the arrest. The officer has been suspended, pending an inquiry.

Youth: “Why do you keep stopping me anyway?”

PC: Don’t tell me to f**k off. You know why, It’s because you’re a f**king rapist and I hate you.

Youth: Why are you calling me a rapist for? What are you saying that for? Are you… laughing? What’s wrong with you? What are you saying that for?

PC: Shut the f**k up.

Youth: Hey, don’t be silly, Hey, what did you say? Sorry go on, go on, go on.

PC: If you say one more f**king word, I’ll smash your f**king Arab face in. Do you understand?

Youth: Just leave me alone, man.

PC: Just shut the f**k up, you c**t, otherwise I’m going to smash your f**king face in. [Laughter] ‘Cause you’re a f**king robbing, raping a**ehole.

PC: You won’t swear at me again, sunshine, and this isn’t one that you won’t f**king get off of at court because I’ll write it up properly.

If you substitute the word “Arab” for “Black” you’ll get the real intention behind the policeman’s feelings and attitude. Sadly, these are the kinds of people who seem to be joining the British police force today. Some of them clearly have racist views and go about their business enforcing those views in the execution of their duties.

I take comfort in the words of district judge David Simpson who was scathing in his views on the case. “I cannot believe anything these officers have told me. There is a lot of talk about respect and the lack of it. Respect is not something you get by putting on a uniform. I believe respect should be earned.”

It is gratifying to hear an impartial judge for once saying something truthful but detrimental about the police. Especially one as racist as the one in question.

A man without his dignity is like a body without a soul. Today captive Saddam Hussain, a proud Arab if ever there was one, must be a zombie of a man as he paces his cell with furious anger after hearing his picture taken without his knowing and permission, has become the focus of international titter.

The very first picture I saw of Saddam Hussein in the aftermath of his capture, the one where he looked like a dishevelled Santa Claus, I was appalled. Regardless of whatever wrong he had done he was still somebody’s child and a human being.

I always feel that even the vanquish has a right to some kind of dignity and respect. Now, two years on, here is another set of pictures of Saddam caught unawares, putting on his pants. I think it’s gross depravity by whatever guard or soldier who has taken this.

It is worse than kicking a man when he is down: it is bludgeoning him to death long before he’s even gone down.

We are no friend of George W. Bush but I applaud his announcement to launch an “aggressive and thorough investigation” into the photographs, splashed across the front page of Britain’s biggest-selling daily toilet paper, the Sun, and in the New York Post on Friday.

A US military statement said the pictures might be a year old and the source was being urgently investigated.

Geneva Convention

It said they contravened Saddam’s rights as a prisoner and could have broken the Geneva Convention, particularly Article 3, paragraph 1, section c) which states that “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment” is prohibited.

Articles 12 to 16 specifically deals with how prisoners should be treated. Article 13 states that “prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated…”

It has long been fashionable for soldiers (both American and British) to abuse prisoners in their care. Sometimes this abuse goes too far as in Abu Gharab and Guantanamo Bay. Stripping a man of his dignity bare, then parading this humiliation for the world, is probably as low and despicable as you can get.

We hope the guilty party/parties are caught and punished, if only as an example that dignity is still a desirable thing as are equal rights and justice.

British MP George Galloway delivered on his promise to blow away the US Senate Committee when he testified before it in Washington yesterday. He even managed to turn defense into attack when in his usual combatitive style he accused the so-called US lawmakers of being cavalier with justice.

Most British and international newspapers agree that Galloway did good too.

“It was a powerful performance,” the Times says, while the Telegraph describes it as “an assault on Capitol Hill.” The Financial Times acknowledges “blistering testimony,” while the Guardian lauded Galloway’s “street fighting form.” The Sun admits “a barnstorming performance,” while the Daily Record says the MP “spanked the Yanks”.

Many had thought (even hoped) the Respect Coaltion MP would fall flat on his face but his performance was solid and highlighted the hypocrisy which was the hearing he was smmoned to attend to clear his name of allegations that he benefitted from the Iraq Oil For Food programme.

My favourite Galloway moment was when he conceded he had met with Saddam Hussein twice, “exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him,” Galloway said. “The difference is Donald Rumsfeld met him (Saddam) to sell his regime guns and gas and to give them the maps necessary to target them,” Galloway added. “I met him to try and bring about an end to sanctions, suffering and war.”

My respect for Galloway increased after seeing how irrepressibly he handled his accusers. He was fierce and the performance will probably do his profile a lot of good, with a lot more people around the world knowing who he is than did before.

For Galloway, a man never shy of publicity, this is a good thing. Most importantly, it is also good for justice (and its big sister truth) both of which seem to be the true victims behind this “mother of all smokescreens”, to Gallowayise it!

Knowing America I’m sure this will one day surface in some kind of film. And, it will prove compulsive viewing just as the real thing itself.

I just hope the rest of the film will be just as rebelliously entertaining without the sappy Hollywood ending!

Can music and fashion mogul Russell Simmons make debt consolidation hot? Simmons is teaming with exuberant TV money guru Suze Orman for the latest incarnation of his Hip-Hop Summit – a six-city tour designed to teach young people how to manage their money.

The idea is to use star power – Eminem and “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino have signed on – to teach money lessons that Simmons and Orman say aren’t being learned at home or in the schools.

“You can say the same thing over and over again until you’re blue in the face, and it doesn’t stick unless it’s said in the proper language,” Simmons told reporters Tuesday.

Simmons said the “summits” will focus on basic banking, understanding and fixing credit scores, managing assets, home ownership and car financing.

The tour, called Get Your Money Right, opens May 14, 2005 in Detroit. Events are planned for Washington on June 7, Miami on July 15, St. Louis on Aug. 20, Los Angeles on Sept. 17 and Chicago on Nov. 5.

Orman, who hosts a show on CNBC and has written popular books on personal finance, said young people today are poorly equipped to handle their money. “Listen to me: Nobody’s getting their money right,” she said. “Money crosses every race, every sex, every religion, every tax bracket. It is the foundation of your life, whether you want to believe it or not.”

In 2003, Simmons introduced a prepaid Visa debit card in hopes of reaching the millions of Americans who don’t have a bank account because they have bad credit or little money.

Why is British Prime Minister Tony Blair so keen to push through plans for UK ID cards? Most evidence suggest ID cards don’t actually prevent crime from happening, neither do they safeguard the interests of the country nor of individuals.

On the contrary: most civil liberties groups are concerned that introduction of the identification cards will undermine citizen’s rights.

It’s a stupid idea (forcing Big Brother style surveilance on people), especially with a system that formerly was used to oppress Black people in former apartheid country South Africa.

Yet, Blair got the Queen to propose such a bill during her speech today at Westminster outlining that the £3 billion scheme was being proposed as a means of countering identity fraud and theft, clamp down on illegal working and abuse of the immigration system, disrupt the use by terrorists and criminals of false and multiple identities and ensure free public services are used only by those who qualify.

Each UK citizen would be issued with a “biometric” card bearing fingerprints and other personal details stored on the new National Identity Register database.

The bottom line is whenever so much faith and confidence is put into something so important, then that “something” is prone to abuse and a loophole is never too hard to find.

So, you instead of preventing terrorists from having an identity maybe they’ll find a way around the system and have the perfect alibi, backed by an ID card that guarantees safe passage through the UK’s green and pleasant land. Or whatever…