Ifè Oshun: Assorted Rants

Russell Simmons, an independent, is catching hell from his liberal colleagues for endorsing a conservative.

In his own defense, the hip-hop mogul released a statement today that serves as a good example of how this country’s voters need a good kick in our collective ass. Blind loyalty to your chosen party, while easier and far less challenging, is no longer viable, and never was truly American. The ugly truth in this new millennium is that our archaic, limiting party labels are quickly becoming obsolete, and if we the people can get with the program while we still have our current borders, we might have a fighting chance.
Here is the statement in full:

Some of my liberal friends and associates are quite upset with me for personally endorsing Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele for the United States Senate. Steele is conservative and a Republican. I am an Independent who has, in the past, supported numerous Democratic candidates with the recent exception of my endorsement of the re-election of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a moderate Republican. (more…)

WTF is wrong with Hollywood? Take a multi-platinum mega-duo (Outkast), at the peak of their career and make a gorgeously shot film starring them and featuring their genre-defying, mainstream embraced music. Don’t ya think it would be a hit?

Well it isn’t, and that’s due to some geniuses deciding Idlewild would only open on a measley 973 screens (the No. 1 movie Invincible, opened on 2, 917 screens). Ironically, the no-brainer became apparent when Idlewild came out way ahead with the largest per-screen average ($5,905) of any of the top movies. So, the fact that it squeezed into the Top 10 at all says a lot.

And… I still stand by my original assertion that comparing Katrina evacuees to African slaves is silly. And as if to prove my point, NFADK led an unwitting lil ole me to actual pictures of enslaved men, women and children taken sometime around 1868. As you look at the faces, and bones sticking through slender frames, you realize that there are so many reasons for emaciation. Not being fed is one, but the anguish of being separated from everything you know and everyone you ever loved could drive many to self starvation. Also, the realization that many of these people could not even share their grief amongst themselves due to different dialects and languages… do you think that the psychological damage suffered by these people could have been assuaged by a cot, the Astrodome and a little sympathy?

Funny how it’s called Google bombing. The layers of meaning go so deep on this one.

I’m assuming this little trick’s been around for a while since I alway seem to be the last one to get forwarded emails, so if you’ve already done this, just bear with my slow ass. If you haven’t, check this out:

Go to Google.com and type in the following word - “failure.”

Now see what comes up as the top result.

Now that’s hot in a sad way. This is the point where you might want to laugh but then you realize you, along with the rest of the free-for-now world, should probably cry.
Google also takes the time to explain their results which shine light, and a glimmer of hope, on the beauty of democracy and free speech.

God bless America. God bless the Internet.

Thanks to mamacita Nina Ames for the email and makethemaccountable.com for the image.

Spike Lee’s documentary, while slightly paranoid in some places (comparing the willy-nilly evacuation of post-Katrina victims and subsequent separation of family members to the planetary-scale devastation of the African slavery trade is ridiculous), brought up tears, memories, and a multitude of broiling political topics.

One particularly interesting segment dealt with the fact that little-to-none of the money generated by Louisiana’s natural resources - which account for roughly 20% of the country’s oil and natural gas - is retained by the state. In one of the four-part documentary’s many in-depth interviews, Douglas Brinkley (“The Great Deluge” author) said the state was treated like “a colony” by the U.S. government, siphoned of its natural resources. This systematic pimping, justified by the offshore three-mile limit rule, results in an absence of state funds needed to build levees that actually work, restore the long-abused protective wetlands, and address New Orleans’ myriad economic weaknesses.

And while radio personality Garland Robinette spat out that if the state had that revenue it would allow the city to get back on its feet, another interviewee pointed out that secession would render the state financially independent and on a par with Saudi Arabia.

But even though Spike treated us to multiple replays of Kanye West’s now infamous statement, he failed to include even a snippet of the impassioned (and eventually nitpicked) “Meet The Press” testimony wrenched out of a wailing Aaron Broussard (president of Jefferson Parish who, irony of ironies, also publicly embraced the notion of secession) recounting the pitiful death of his colleague’s mother. Although gaping holes such as this one warranted, in my honest opinion, another “act,” Lee did a monumental job of making sense out of the numerous issues bubbling under the surface of this still fresh situation.

Aaron Broussard’s classic Meet The Press interview

Thanks to Whatreallyhappened.com for the video.

It seems that MTV has really lost touch with the youthful audience it panders to.

According to Zomba, the “Vans” video from Bay Area hyphy-hype group The Pack has been banned by MTV.

David Bell, Director of Digital Marketing for Zomba Label Group, told me the video channel didn’t approve of the message.

“[They] said the video was basically an ad for Vans,” said Bell.

When the decades old “video” channel asked the teens to cut a new clip and change the name of their song in return for airplay, they refused and basically told the network to step off.

“There are so many more outlets for video exposure right now,” Bell added. “so we are exploring on a much deeper and grassroots level than normal.”

The song, an almost whispered ode to the punk rock footwear, has been blowing up West coast radio. The video shows Nike shoes being thrown away by dreadlocked Black boys on skateboards.

Scandal. Anarchy.

I also posted this on my news blog. Still haven’t gotten a comment from MTV… screw ‘em.

VIDEO:

“Vans”

Photo courtesy Zomba

They’re good at serving up raw Atlanta rap, and now Field Mob’s casting director skills will be put to the test in their dedicated search for video skanks.

The duo has recently asked for female fans to submit their own videos for their latest track “Baby Bend Over.”

“This ya boy Smoke aka Chevy P of the almighty Field Mob and we just dropped our second single “Baby Bend Over” aka The Strip Club Anthem. Me and Shawn need to see who got the biggest donkey on the net! Get ya web cam out and make ya own “Baby Bend Over” video and send em in and well post the best video on our page! Only apple bottoms over the age of 18 need to apply.”

You can check a recent entry, but I warn ya, it’s nasty… which is probably what most of you skank lovers want to see anyway.

And if you’re feeling it, why not grab your chance to be a video hoe, too?

If you think you can outskank Momma Skank, then check out Smoke’s Myspace blog to see how you can send in your own submission.

And may the best donkey win.