A Marine Confronts NYPD on brutality

United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY (Long Island) verbally gave the NYPD a tongue lashing at Occupy Times Square this weekend. Thomas chastises the officers for excessive use of force, and militarization by repeating "these are American citizens!" and "if you want to be tough, go fight in Afghanistan". It resounds clearly from a war veteran, whose family has served this country for four generations.

Feature performance at Gizzi's Cafe on 10/18/2011

Come join me for the last featured performance of my 20s! SoSoon has an artist residency at Gizzi's, and I'm honored to be featured during its tenure. I'm on a bill with some talented women, so the night is defiantly a do-not-miss. I have some special treats in store, including debuting NEW MATERIAL.

I look forward to seeing you there! Admission is free, and the drinks are strong.

Michael Eric Dyson & Michelle Alexander discuss Troy Davis and the Prison Industrial Complex

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An amazing fact was revealed by Dr. Dyson on this program. The murder of James Byrd Jr., the black man who was dragged to death in Jasper Texas nearly a decade ago, was executed this week. Byrd's son was the only person to protest the death of his father's murderer, stating that "you can't fight murder with murder." I struggle with my own opinions of the ethics of the death penalty. My opposition to it come mainly due to the manner in which the justice system is structured as a vehicle of racial oppression and class warfare. The prison industrial complex is very real. Speaking to that point is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Professor Michelle Alexander. In response to the disproportionate number of blacks on death row (12% of the population, 50% of death row inmates), she states:

Studies have shown that those who live and those who die when it comes to the Death Penalty has more to do with the race of the victim than just about anything else. Those who kill white people are far more likely to be sentenced to death than those who kill black people; a strong statement about the value placed on people's lives according to race in the United States.

They also discuss the grassroots and communal passion that fueled massive protest during the climax of this horrible case. Watch, and figure out where you fit in. We are the question and the answer.

I'll be reading Professor Alexander's book ASAP. In under a minute at the end of this clip, she sums up the state sanctioned oppression by the police and enforced by the courts of this nation that make challenging racial bias nearly impossible. We need to wake up.

Let's hope the fight to save Troy Davis' life was just the beginning.

Michael Moore calls for support of Occupy Wall Street protest, decries execution of Troy Davis

Eric B. & Rakim - My Melody - Live @ Central Park Summerstage

I wish I could say that I shot this, but alas, I was standing with other concert-goers in the rain behind the barricade, outside of the Mainstage.

Rakim went through his list of hits, and proved that "Rakim gets stronger/as I get older". Yeah. He's still got that magnetic flow, and his voice is still resonant. It's amazing to be so far into his career as an artist, all ups and downs included, and that his best work STILL is lyrically fresh.

I got to hear "Know the LEDGE", "Microphone Fiend", and "I Know You Got Soul", and "Paid in Full" live. The only thing I have left to do is meet the man. Glad I went, and over the fact that I wasn't in the main crowd.

Real talk, a lot of people who couldn't get in, like me, stood outside the barricades, danced in the rain, sat on rocks, stood on woodchips, and rapped songs bar for bar. That's hip-hop.

Watch The Throne - Otis [video]

Emcee/Poet Ise Lyfe goes in on Mr. Fab's excusing V-Nasty for saying the N-Word

V-Nasty likes to say "nigga". Mr. Fab thinks it's fine. Ise Lyfe... disagrees.

Great series by a great dude. I'll be tuning in to watch all the episodes.

Rakim + The Roots perform Paid in Full @ the Blue Note

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On June 22, The Legendary Roots Crew backed up the God MC, Rakim Allah, as he performed the album Paid in Full in its ENTIRETY at The Blue Note jazz club in NYC as part of the club's month long 30th anniversary jazz festival. Truly a phenomenal night.

Celebrating the life of Tupac Amaru Shakur - #Tupac40

How long will they mourn me?

Today, Tupac Shakur would have turned 40 years old.

How should he be remembered? 15 years after his untimely death, the legend of who he was greatly eclipses his humanity in the minds of most who think of him. Tupac was extremely charismatic, and the public persona he crafted was rooted in his personality, but it was not the totality of who he was as a man. In the wake of his 40th birthday, we should challenge ourselves to peel away the husk of mythos that has surrounded him since his death on September 13, 1996.

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Nas - Nasty [song + review]

Shout out to Funkmaster Flex, who debuted the song last night. He dropped bombs on this track for TWENTY MINUTES because it's pure fire.

NO ONE wants it with Nas. If this is ANY indication how his next album, Life is Good, is shaping up... we've got a stillmatic banger on our hands. The beat is produced by a seemingly refreshed and re-energized Salaam Remi, who I feel was giving Nasir some drowsy sounds for a few years. The release of this single takes me back to Junior High School when my homies and I would call each other and play the latest Nas track over the phone to each other.

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