Hip Hop In The Classroom (cont'd from The Seed)

If you look at hip hop on it's face (radio, BET and MTV) it doesn't look like there is much intellect in our hip hop artists. This is not because there are no intelligent hip hop artists it has more to do with what is presented to us. If you know the history of hip hop or choose to dig a little deeper you'll soon see there are plenty intelligent hip hop artists that create complex concepts and quality songs. In my article I mentioned 9th Wonder and a few other artists. The 9th Wonder video shows the depth of hip hop, specifically Nas' classic album Illmatic. The other videos are (in order)Public Enemy's Fight The Power, OutKast's Git Up Git Out, and Goodie Mob's Beautiful Skin. Please enjoy and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section. Peace.

9th Wonder


Public Enemy


OutKast


Goodie Mob

Cowardice & Hypocrisy: Pastor Terry Jones Cancels Quran Burning Event

In my recent article for The Seed, I made reference to a “Pastor” Terry Jones, who had planned the infamous “International Burn a Quran Day”. He has decided to cancel this event and is now seeking to have a meeting with the Imam who is spearheading the effort to build Park51, the Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero. He claims that God is telling him to stop and that he has accomplished his mission of exposing the radical element in Islam. Though he made the right decision in cancelling this event, his reasons are rooted in great hypocrisy, does not represent a “change of heart” moment, and as Pastor Jones now knows, has grave consequences. There are two essential interviews of Pastor Jones that shows his hypocrisy. The first is a CNN interview with Rick Sanchez and his interview on the Today Show on September 11. In the CNN interview Pastor Jones declares that “Islam is of The Devil”(which is the title of is new book) and that “there is no such thing as a moderate Islam”. However, is his second interview he says he wanted “to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical". So, Pastor Jones went from denouncing the entire religion to saying that there are only “elements of Islam” that are radical. In the CNN interview Pastor Jones said that “there are moderate Muslims” so Pastor Jones already knew this, but that didn’t stop him, so this could not have been his inspiration for canceling this event. What really happened is he over estimated the level of disdain for Islam as well as, the backlash from the Islamic and Christian communities and folded under the pressure.

In the Today Show interview, Pastor Jones was joined by his assistant pastor Wayne Sapp. Mr. Sapp added an interesting point of view, which represents the quintessence of their hypocrisy. Mr. Sapp states that “I believe there are some teachings that are carried on throughout the entire religion, as there in denominations in Christianity… there are facets in Islam that push one element more than others”. This is interesting because though he admits that there are elements within his own religion that are radical, they choose to focus their reformation efforts on Islam. In the bible (Matthew 7:5) Jesus states: "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” This is a quote from the man that is the foundation of Pastor Jones’ and Mr. Sapp’s faith, so how can they try to reform Islam while ignoring the radical elements within their own religion? Let’s just say they were trying to reform Christianity; would they take the same course of action that they are taking with regard of Islam? Would they burn The Bible, would they write a book called Christianity is of The Devil or put a sign in front of their church saying the same thing? I highly doubt it. As the quote from Jesus implies, if they were trying to reform their own religion, they would know that the course that they are taking is very detrimental to all sides. In the final analysis, Pastor Jones and company didn’t cancel this event, because “God told them to stop”, he did it because he saw his plan backfire. With criticism from General David Patraeus saying that it “could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan” and the backlash he is now seeing that includes “over 100 death threats” this is only an act of great hypocrisy and cowardice.

Tavis Smiley Reports

Tavis Smiley Reports is a series that began in January of this year. It includes four 1-hour long reports from Tavis Smiley where he goes sort of behind the scenes to give us a more in-depth look on issues both past and present. The first report is posted below. I also enjoyed the two other reports that have been released so far MLK: A Call To Conscience and New Orleans: Been In The Storm Too Long. Check out the episodes and let us know what you think.

Tracy McGrady's Visit to Africa

This is a video we came across a few months ago. Thought it'd be a good idea to share it here on The Exchange. Enjoy.

Websites for Young Entrepreneurs

During a recent interview with the founders of Afiya LLC, I asked them what resources they found for small businesses; the answer was prayer, family and friends. I understand their feelings; owning a small business, especially for young people, can sometimes seem like you’re the lone ranger fighting your way to success. Upon hearing this answer I looked around to see what I could find online. Recently I read an online article on Black Enterprise highlighting websites specifically for entrepreneurs under 30. I decided to take a look at these websites to see if they were indeed useful. These sites all have unique features that range from interviews from with entrepreneurs under 30 years of age, to providing money for start ups. So, if you’re thinking about starting a business or you’re already a business owner and are looking for resources to help you along the way; you will find at least one of these websites helpful. Peace.

Straight, No Chaser Mixtape: Volume 2

Listen to the new mixtape for free:

2 Pens & Lint Chapbook Publishing

Wouldn’t it be nice to sell your own collection of poetry when you step off the stage at an open mic? Wouldn’t it be nice to see a set of your poems in print? Well, publishing a chapbook through 2 Pens & Lint would be a great way to achieve that goal of pushing your poetry career to the next level.