2004 Black Enterprise Top 10 Cities for Blacks
1) Atlanta, GA
2) Washington, DC
3) Dallas, TX
4) Nashville, TN
5) Houston, TX
6) Charlotte, NC
7) Birmingham, AL
8) Memphis, TN
9) Columbus, OH
10)Baltimore, MD
..............................
% of College Graduates (Black)
Atlanta, GA
21.9
Washington, DC
24.1
Dallas, TX
18.5
Nashville, TN
18.9
Houston, TX
18.4
Charlotte, NC
16.5
Birmingham, AL
14.6
Memphis, TN
12.1
Columbus, OH
15.4
Baltimore, MD
16.1
............................
Avg. House Price / Avg. Rent
Atlanta, GA
227k / $751
Washington, Dc
355k / $1,974
Dallas, TX
203k / $902
Nashville, TN
187k / $717
Houston, TX
179k / $749
Charlotte, NC
213k / $566
Birmingham, AL
204k / $623
Memphis, TN
183k / $638
Columbus, OH
253k / $663
Baltimore, MD
207k / $645
So which one of these cities do you live in?
Monday, June 21, 2004
Doing It With R. Kelly
Stripping the sexiness right out of sex
Doing It With R. Kelly
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
June 15th, 2004 5:00 PM
Kelly: a preference for the pornographic over the erotic
(photo: Reisig & Taylor)
. Kelly has always been the wrong man for pillow talk. Crass and crude, a Kelly anthem is the anti-Viagra. The man has pipes on loan from God and a gift for crafting melody. He is also, unquestionably, the most significant r&b artist of his era. But with songs like "I Like the Crotch on You," he has drained the sexiness out of sex like no man ever before. A serenade from Chicago's finest is the ultimate buzz-kill—a cold-shower delivered in perfect pitch and melody. Kelly's perspective on sex always sounded like it was culled from the dirty jokes scrawled on the walls of a middle-school restroom.
So it should come as no surprise that a man with a juvenile view of sex has so often been accused of having sex with juveniles. Kelly will be facing his most damaging accusations starting June 26, when his trial for child pornography begins. According to prosecutors, Kelly videotaped himself having sex with his 14-year-old goddaughter.
Despite a much publicized airing of the video, Kelly has used the most effective tool at his disposal to revamp his image—a barrage of hits. It helps that most of those cuts are the sort of vague, toothless odes ("Heaven, I Need A Hug") your grandmother could love. Yet no honest fan who's given a Kelly album an honest listen can hide from one essential fact: In matters of love and sex, Kelly never got out of the ninth grade.
For the record, all men have an R. Kelly in them. No matter how noble and nice, we've all caught ourselves peeking over the line, admiring a body beyond its years, and murmuring about the perks of the 19th century. So when Kelly confesses, "My mind is telling me 'no,' but my body is telling me 'yes,'" he is peering into all of our souls. Among the healthy male populace, moments like these last about 30 seconds. Then we recoil, straighten up, and return from our lower selves.
But Kelly, as an artist at least, lives in his lower self. There was never anything seductive or suggestive about an R. Kelly jam—when a cut is titled "Feelin’ On Yo Bootie," "Like a Real Freak," or "The Best Sex Ever," the guesswork is eliminated. Kelly's many hits were based not just on a penchant for melody, but on an unrivaled ability to reduce sex and love to its basest and most graphic terms. For Kelly, sex is only interesting when stripped of all inference, allusion, or double entendre. To leave anything to the imagination would be to leave something behind.
When Kelly does attempt to be poetic, somehow he ends up sounding like a naughty schoolboy. Take his monster hit "You Remind Me of Something," in which he struggles for a metaphor to describe his lover. His efforts fall slightly short of Shakespeare. "You remind me of my jeep, I wanna ride it/Something like my sound, I wanna pump it/Girl, you look just like my cars, I wanna wax it/And something like my bank account, I wanna spend it, baby." Shall I compare thee to an SUV? Thou art more fuel-efficient and, um, roomier.
At least "You Remind Me" was an attempt at a nontraditional metaphor. The title cut from Kelly's breakout album 12 Play, is reminiscent of the sort of dirty nursery rhymes exchanged by third graders: "8, Feel me, I'm so hard/ 9, See I want you from behind, with that bump and grind/10, Baby climb on top of me/11, Up and down we'll go, you'll see." Those sorts of sweet nothings may not conjure memories of Cyrano de Bergerac, but they certainly get the 12-year-olds giggling—they don't call it "12 Play" for nothing.
Many of Kelly's fans turned their backs when he was accused of wooing children, but some of Kelly’s best material sounds engineered to do precisely that. The chorus for "It Seems Like You're Ready" always reminded me of some high school senior trying to con a freshman into going past first base. "It seems like you're ready (seems like you're ready)/Girl, are you ready, to go all the way?"
It is Kelly's juvenile taste, his preference for the pornographic over the erotic, that marks the dividing line between him and his forebears. As a kid, I was never sure what "Footsteps In the Dark" or "Voyage to Atlantis" meant. But my three-year-old son could get the gist of "12 Play." Furthermore, while you could always count on Curtis Mayfield, Jeffrey Osborne, or even Al B. Sure to lend you a hand in your efforts at seduction, Kelly's hand—even pre-child porn charges—always seemed to be wielding a camcorder. You just can't escape the feeling that Kelly's watching you, which might not be so bad, if he weren't offering color commentary too.
But Kelly can't even let the generational line stand—even his elders must be reduced to schoolkids. When not penning prom-night monologues, Kelly has done some impressive work with Ronald Isley, transforming the balladeer from a lion in winter into a relevant hit-maker. Isley, of course, has had to pay a price. His lyrics have been dumbed down to Kelly's level and he's had to stomach his new role as poster boy for the cuckolded gangster. From "Down Low" to "Contagious" to "Showdown," Kelly has crafted a melodramatic musical epic using Isley's mate as the thread. The Isley/Kelly marriage is a natural musically, but the resulting content has been vintage R. Kelly—which is to say audio porn.
How can a guy with such a puerile view of love and sex become the bard of his generation? Well, it helps that Kelly isn't the only one dumbing us down and fixing on the lowest common denominator. The Farrelly Brothers, ODB, Paris Hilton, and John Ashcroft have all made their contributions in the war against privacy. Inference is dead. Speak to us like 10-year-olds, or we will not understand. This is a world that R. Kelly was made to serenade, one perfectly designed for his callow approach to the lyrical.
Of course, that leaves us old fogies and hopeless romantics out of the loop. I like to think that I'm a freak. But a cantillating R. Kelly consistently leaves me determined to redouble my efforts at Bible study, even his recent innocuous incarnation would sully the listener. "Step In the Name of Love" is masterful bit of whitewashing, but makes me itch—and not in a good way. I know which way Kelly is stepping. I'm doing my best to walk the other way.
Doing It With R. Kelly
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
June 15th, 2004 5:00 PM
Kelly: a preference for the pornographic over the erotic
(photo: Reisig & Taylor)
. Kelly has always been the wrong man for pillow talk. Crass and crude, a Kelly anthem is the anti-Viagra. The man has pipes on loan from God and a gift for crafting melody. He is also, unquestionably, the most significant r&b artist of his era. But with songs like "I Like the Crotch on You," he has drained the sexiness out of sex like no man ever before. A serenade from Chicago's finest is the ultimate buzz-kill—a cold-shower delivered in perfect pitch and melody. Kelly's perspective on sex always sounded like it was culled from the dirty jokes scrawled on the walls of a middle-school restroom.
So it should come as no surprise that a man with a juvenile view of sex has so often been accused of having sex with juveniles. Kelly will be facing his most damaging accusations starting June 26, when his trial for child pornography begins. According to prosecutors, Kelly videotaped himself having sex with his 14-year-old goddaughter.
Despite a much publicized airing of the video, Kelly has used the most effective tool at his disposal to revamp his image—a barrage of hits. It helps that most of those cuts are the sort of vague, toothless odes ("Heaven, I Need A Hug") your grandmother could love. Yet no honest fan who's given a Kelly album an honest listen can hide from one essential fact: In matters of love and sex, Kelly never got out of the ninth grade.
For the record, all men have an R. Kelly in them. No matter how noble and nice, we've all caught ourselves peeking over the line, admiring a body beyond its years, and murmuring about the perks of the 19th century. So when Kelly confesses, "My mind is telling me 'no,' but my body is telling me 'yes,'" he is peering into all of our souls. Among the healthy male populace, moments like these last about 30 seconds. Then we recoil, straighten up, and return from our lower selves.
But Kelly, as an artist at least, lives in his lower self. There was never anything seductive or suggestive about an R. Kelly jam—when a cut is titled "Feelin’ On Yo Bootie," "Like a Real Freak," or "The Best Sex Ever," the guesswork is eliminated. Kelly's many hits were based not just on a penchant for melody, but on an unrivaled ability to reduce sex and love to its basest and most graphic terms. For Kelly, sex is only interesting when stripped of all inference, allusion, or double entendre. To leave anything to the imagination would be to leave something behind.
When Kelly does attempt to be poetic, somehow he ends up sounding like a naughty schoolboy. Take his monster hit "You Remind Me of Something," in which he struggles for a metaphor to describe his lover. His efforts fall slightly short of Shakespeare. "You remind me of my jeep, I wanna ride it/Something like my sound, I wanna pump it/Girl, you look just like my cars, I wanna wax it/And something like my bank account, I wanna spend it, baby." Shall I compare thee to an SUV? Thou art more fuel-efficient and, um, roomier.
At least "You Remind Me" was an attempt at a nontraditional metaphor. The title cut from Kelly's breakout album 12 Play, is reminiscent of the sort of dirty nursery rhymes exchanged by third graders: "8, Feel me, I'm so hard/ 9, See I want you from behind, with that bump and grind/10, Baby climb on top of me/11, Up and down we'll go, you'll see." Those sorts of sweet nothings may not conjure memories of Cyrano de Bergerac, but they certainly get the 12-year-olds giggling—they don't call it "12 Play" for nothing.
Many of Kelly's fans turned their backs when he was accused of wooing children, but some of Kelly’s best material sounds engineered to do precisely that. The chorus for "It Seems Like You're Ready" always reminded me of some high school senior trying to con a freshman into going past first base. "It seems like you're ready (seems like you're ready)/Girl, are you ready, to go all the way?"
It is Kelly's juvenile taste, his preference for the pornographic over the erotic, that marks the dividing line between him and his forebears. As a kid, I was never sure what "Footsteps In the Dark" or "Voyage to Atlantis" meant. But my three-year-old son could get the gist of "12 Play." Furthermore, while you could always count on Curtis Mayfield, Jeffrey Osborne, or even Al B. Sure to lend you a hand in your efforts at seduction, Kelly's hand—even pre-child porn charges—always seemed to be wielding a camcorder. You just can't escape the feeling that Kelly's watching you, which might not be so bad, if he weren't offering color commentary too.
But Kelly can't even let the generational line stand—even his elders must be reduced to schoolkids. When not penning prom-night monologues, Kelly has done some impressive work with Ronald Isley, transforming the balladeer from a lion in winter into a relevant hit-maker. Isley, of course, has had to pay a price. His lyrics have been dumbed down to Kelly's level and he's had to stomach his new role as poster boy for the cuckolded gangster. From "Down Low" to "Contagious" to "Showdown," Kelly has crafted a melodramatic musical epic using Isley's mate as the thread. The Isley/Kelly marriage is a natural musically, but the resulting content has been vintage R. Kelly—which is to say audio porn.
How can a guy with such a puerile view of love and sex become the bard of his generation? Well, it helps that Kelly isn't the only one dumbing us down and fixing on the lowest common denominator. The Farrelly Brothers, ODB, Paris Hilton, and John Ashcroft have all made their contributions in the war against privacy. Inference is dead. Speak to us like 10-year-olds, or we will not understand. This is a world that R. Kelly was made to serenade, one perfectly designed for his callow approach to the lyrical.
Of course, that leaves us old fogies and hopeless romantics out of the loop. I like to think that I'm a freak. But a cantillating R. Kelly consistently leaves me determined to redouble my efforts at Bible study, even his recent innocuous incarnation would sully the listener. "Step In the Name of Love" is masterful bit of whitewashing, but makes me itch—and not in a good way. I know which way Kelly is stepping. I'm doing my best to walk the other way.
Friday, June 18, 2004
Juneteenth
june 19th will mark 139 years
since slaves in texas heard about
the emancipation proclamation and
were set
free...
give thanks for this day
all melanin beings...
we pourin libations for our ancestors
i really shouldn't be working today......
note* all slaves were freed but majority were...remember dred scott!!
since slaves in texas heard about
the emancipation proclamation and
were set
free...
give thanks for this day
all melanin beings...
we pourin libations for our ancestors
i really shouldn't be working today......
note* all slaves were freed but majority were...remember dred scott!!
Monday, June 07, 2004
what the miseducation??? commenting on comments. VL. 1
everything here is a thought/work in progress.
the last post that I made was in reference to comments
that i'd received regarding some events that badu's hosting
here in dallas....majority of the comments received
were negative....so I(meaning EYE) decided to write about
those comments and my opinions regarding....
that's just it....my opinion.
if for some reason you tend to not find what your
looking for within this url....send me an email..maybe
i can be of some assistance. if for other reasons you
find that my comments or statements have "lack of infomation", maybe don't suit your tastes or uninspiring...lol, why you can surely see your way OUT!
now, constructive criticism is always appreciated...
but that ole negative ish..WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
friend or not. did you even read my disclaimer....
pardon whatever's going thru your mind but not all life
revolves around you or your thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in response to the other comments: i'm really unsure
as where to get info on badu's non-profit ventures...
lol i'd try that email address listed or her website for that intro. peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i agree with Rich, shit is all the same no matter the
city or state. you see the same people if your a regular.
that tends to burn anybody out after a while. i also think
badu is a great performer, but as i've said before....
i lack an understanding of who and what she is...
at times i can't relate...through songwriting is how
i relate to certain artists....i haven't been able to follow
her for a long time...does this mean i'm not checking
for badu...no, just means i couldn't relate this last album
to anything in my life to understand it....
ok i'm done....this is dead!
DEAD!
the last post that I made was in reference to comments
that i'd received regarding some events that badu's hosting
here in dallas....majority of the comments received
were negative....so I(meaning EYE) decided to write about
those comments and my opinions regarding....
that's just it....my opinion.
if for some reason you tend to not find what your
looking for within this url....send me an email..maybe
i can be of some assistance. if for other reasons you
find that my comments or statements have "lack of infomation", maybe don't suit your tastes or uninspiring...lol, why you can surely see your way OUT!
now, constructive criticism is always appreciated...
but that ole negative ish..WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
friend or not. did you even read my disclaimer....
pardon whatever's going thru your mind but not all life
revolves around you or your thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in response to the other comments: i'm really unsure
as where to get info on badu's non-profit ventures...
lol i'd try that email address listed or her website for that intro. peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i agree with Rich, shit is all the same no matter the
city or state. you see the same people if your a regular.
that tends to burn anybody out after a while. i also think
badu is a great performer, but as i've said before....
i lack an understanding of who and what she is...
at times i can't relate...through songwriting is how
i relate to certain artists....i haven't been able to follow
her for a long time...does this mean i'm not checking
for badu...no, just means i couldn't relate this last album
to anything in my life to understand it....
ok i'm done....this is dead!
DEAD!
Thursday, June 03, 2004
"My patience is better, but my tolerance of lower spirts lack"
normally i like to post past conversations that i may have had thru email, notes and various other media streams.
why do i post these? not sure other than it's just another way of letting readers into my thoughts, life and cypher. so here goes another....
** disclaimer**
in no way, shape or form by posting this am i trying to be negative. this is strictly about sharing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 SURPRISE EVENTS : ERYKAH, DEAD PREZ, PRINCE, + More"
Wanna get involved or help spread the word?
Erykah Badu presents 3 nights of old fashion summertime fun! That's right, 3
SURPRISE events benefiting B.L.I.N.D., Badu's non-profit, and the Forest
Theater Development Project.
PEACE * LOVE * MUSIC
***************************************************
Monday, June, 7th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents: Motion Sickness Monday Hosted
by Talib Kweli
W/ Special Guest Performances by:
Hydroponic Sound System
Bavu Blakes
Strange Fruit Project
D-Madness Six-2
Special performance of "the Blast, PT.2" featuring Erykah Badu
Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm 21+ $10, 18+ $12 at the door ID's Required,
Free Parking
******************************************! *********
Wednesday, June, 9th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents:
Jam Sessions III FEATURING: Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soul Child
W/ Special Guest Performances by: Nayrok (Badu's sister),
Common Folk And rock group Monsters and Dust
Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm $20.00
General Admission, 18+
Tickets at the door or: 214-421-0677 ID's Required, Free Parking
***************************************************
Friday, June,11th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents: Musicology :
"The Official Prince Tour Afterparty"
Hosted by: Erykah Badu W/ Special Guest Performances by:
A Surprise DJ and a Live Jam Session Doors at 7pm,
show starts at 8pm $20.00
General Admission 21 and over only!
ID's Required, Free Parking
***************************************************
The Black Forest Theater 1920 Martin Luther King Blvd.
(MLK & 45) Dallas, Texas 75215 214-421-0677
www.blackforesttheater.com
Produced BY: B.L.I.N.D. & Smitty INK, LTD
levatino@smitytink.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
reply 1:
and don't send me no more wack emails about(badu) with her no hosting azz self, lol
reply 2:
You know, I'm starting to dread attending functions like this. It's sad that my hometown has lost my interest. I run into the same crowds/personalities. If it were held somewhere else I might be a little more excited. I have soo moved on. My patience is better but my tolerance of lower spirts lack. I hope you have fun babe. Have an peaceful day! and thanks for the keeping in touch with events.
forward to victory
Nekay says:
funny you should say this...because it's not necessarily about the people attending these events(or the hostess)...if you feel moved to attend..by all means do! don't stop your life because your tolerance level is low. ignornance will always exsist no matter how far you cut your self off...or remove you from certain environments......
i used to be guilty of this, until i learned what patience really was. regardless of anything these are in fact my people...bound by skin tone and blood.....so i' have to be unconditional in all situations. I used to say that I was over shit too....but In that I've removed myself from so many things that I loved. and it all came down to the people...So, I had to ask myself a serious question...Was my life about me or the people around me?
coming where I come from, I think you should be proud of the progress your hometown has built. Not just your hometown, but the state as a whole. Even though people, places, thoughts and things are shady, still shouldn't lose the love.
it's all so cool. so please do you.this is just my opinion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i believe this is about how Badu makes people feel (now)...present day.
lol...there are few people that I know who still support this woman. trust this isn't the first email i received back about this particular thing.
so, where did the love go? lol who wants to answer this one....it's time
why do i post these? not sure other than it's just another way of letting readers into my thoughts, life and cypher. so here goes another....
** disclaimer**
in no way, shape or form by posting this am i trying to be negative. this is strictly about sharing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 SURPRISE EVENTS : ERYKAH, DEAD PREZ, PRINCE, + More"
Wanna get involved or help spread the word?
Erykah Badu presents 3 nights of old fashion summertime fun! That's right, 3
SURPRISE events benefiting B.L.I.N.D., Badu's non-profit, and the Forest
Theater Development Project.
PEACE * LOVE * MUSIC
***************************************************
Monday, June, 7th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents: Motion Sickness Monday Hosted
by Talib Kweli
W/ Special Guest Performances by:
Hydroponic Sound System
Bavu Blakes
Strange Fruit Project
D-Madness Six-2
Special performance of "the Blast, PT.2" featuring Erykah Badu
Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm 21+ $10, 18+ $12 at the door ID's Required,
Free Parking
******************************************! *********
Wednesday, June, 9th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents:
Jam Sessions III FEATURING: Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soul Child
W/ Special Guest Performances by: Nayrok (Badu's sister),
Common Folk And rock group Monsters and Dust
Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm $20.00
General Admission, 18+
Tickets at the door or: 214-421-0677 ID's Required, Free Parking
***************************************************
Friday, June,11th, 2004 Erykah Badu Presents: Musicology :
"The Official Prince Tour Afterparty"
Hosted by: Erykah Badu W/ Special Guest Performances by:
A Surprise DJ and a Live Jam Session Doors at 7pm,
show starts at 8pm $20.00
General Admission 21 and over only!
ID's Required, Free Parking
***************************************************
The Black Forest Theater 1920 Martin Luther King Blvd.
(MLK & 45) Dallas, Texas 75215 214-421-0677
www.blackforesttheater.com
Produced BY: B.L.I.N.D. & Smitty INK, LTD
levatino@smitytink.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
reply 1:
and don't send me no more wack emails about(badu) with her no hosting azz self, lol
reply 2:
You know, I'm starting to dread attending functions like this. It's sad that my hometown has lost my interest. I run into the same crowds/personalities. If it were held somewhere else I might be a little more excited. I have soo moved on. My patience is better but my tolerance of lower spirts lack. I hope you have fun babe. Have an peaceful day! and thanks for the keeping in touch with events.
forward to victory
Nekay says:
funny you should say this...because it's not necessarily about the people attending these events(or the hostess)...if you feel moved to attend..by all means do! don't stop your life because your tolerance level is low. ignornance will always exsist no matter how far you cut your self off...or remove you from certain environments......
i used to be guilty of this, until i learned what patience really was. regardless of anything these are in fact my people...bound by skin tone and blood.....so i' have to be unconditional in all situations. I used to say that I was over shit too....but In that I've removed myself from so many things that I loved. and it all came down to the people...So, I had to ask myself a serious question...Was my life about me or the people around me?
coming where I come from, I think you should be proud of the progress your hometown has built. Not just your hometown, but the state as a whole. Even though people, places, thoughts and things are shady, still shouldn't lose the love.
it's all so cool. so please do you.this is just my opinion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i believe this is about how Badu makes people feel (now)...present day.
lol...there are few people that I know who still support this woman. trust this isn't the first email i received back about this particular thing.
so, where did the love go? lol who wants to answer this one....it's time
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