Monthly Archives: December 2011

Her Locs by @Soul_Cypher

I remember the first time I saw them

The color of a sunset
Long and thick
Her locs
I was mesmerized with the memory
Even though I had never touched them
I wanted to
Run my fingers through them
Slowly
So I could feel the history
From start to finish
Something about her locs
Made me smile
They didn’t seem trendy or new
They seemed worldly and wise
Much like the wearer
They looked revolutionary and real
They got longer
My admiration grew
I caught a glimpse of the early stages
Took a trip through her visual voyage
they looked cool tucked behind bands and her ear
I often wonder what they dream about
Since they are such an intricate part of her
Her locs
Blinded her one day
“I wanted to cover my sight with the strongest and most tangible part of me.”
What came after was a profound expression of inner emotion
Her locs
Long, thick and amber colored
Remind me of corners in Harlem
I’ve never touched either
They live in the most fragile part of me, nursing the strongest connection
Between heaven and earth
So when she crowns herself in the morning, I’ll look at the rising sun, reflect on the memory
And smile
At the first time I saw her locs.
Amber-colored, long and thick
Admired from afar.

I Am A Black Poem by @JusticeThePoet

I am a black poem
No dreams deferred
my presence is present
Made evident by evidence
of knowledge of my heritage
I am the tears of slave children
watching their parents be lynched
The pain of that tired black woman on the bus
No being allowed to sit
I am a Black poem
I am the soul of those who cry for freedom
Who sacrifice their lives
So future generations may thrive
Giving life to silent praise
And thoughts kept inside
Thoughts of no more pain
No more violence or shame
No more answering to the word NIGGA
As if it’s your name
I am a black poem

I am the manifestation of Gil Scott Heron
Because the revolution will NOT be televised
It will be verbalized
And visualized
as we look past the pain
And find the pride in each other’s eyes
I am a Black poem
More than a combination of words
More than repetition of syllables
Or placement of verbs
I am a Black poem
Bother powerful and strong
I am the bass line of the music
I am the hook to the song
I am a Black poem

I am the stanza lost
In the politics oh hip hop
Where creativity crosses paths with cash flow
Where artists sink so low
as to selling their souls
and not caring
Just as long as their album gets sold though
I am a Black poem
My voice will never be silenced
As long as the pen still exists
I picked up the pen at 10 years old
And haven’t put it down since
I am a Black poem

…these are my lyrics

 

- Justice The Poet

 

The 1%

In the past, we’ve heard that the people in this country have always wanted to keep their money. And government has been set up so that that can happen. However, as of late, there has been a group of wealthy Americans, apart of the 1%, who call themselves Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength feel that they should be taxed more. They feel that the wealthy have benefited enough from the leniency and say their taxation is disproportionate to the rest of the country. “Me, personally, I wouldn’t mind paying more in taxes if it went to the things that really mattered,” he said to CNN. “If it went to education, to people in poverty, I wouldn’t mind.” These words coming from Jay-Z, someone who those of us in the Hip-Hop community/culture look up to. Who would have ever thought that he would wind up in the same tax bracket a Warren Buffett. “We think that like other Americans, we love this country, and that those in the upper one percent have been treated too good for their own sake,” said Garrett Gruener, a member of the group. “We think it’s time to give back.”

Pay it Forward

SO everyone always questions how celebrities spend their millions, for whatever reason. Personally, I could care less. Lol BUT this caught my attention. New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards wasn’t always known for his playing on the field, but sometimes for the his actions off the field. However this time he is giving back. He made a promise to students in Cleveland. He told that if they kept a GPA of 2.5 or higher and performed 15 hours of community service, he would pay for them to go to college. NOW, on the dime of the NY Jets wide receiver, 100 Cleveland students will be attending college. In total these tuitions add up to $1 Million dollars.

“As the 2nd most hated man in Clev & a man of my word, today I will honor a promise made to 100 students in Cleveland years ago,” Edwards tweeted. “The last of my Advance 100 students will graduate from my program and head off to college on scholarships that I will provide them with. Guys, enjoy and embrace your new beginnings and remember your promise to me, to reach back & help someone else along the way” Edwards says.

 

 

 

Addicted

Wrote this three years ago, and it couldn’t be anymore true to this day….

 

At all of 3:21 in the mornin
My pen and pad meet again
Once Again
To ode my addiction
To the staff notes cords
And vibratos

Some are addicted
To a little white rock
Some are addicted
To a chopped up herb
Some are addicted
To that little white pill

You all know the stories
‘It wasn’t my fault
I dont know how it happened
I had to find a way
To escape to problems of the day
I had to make it numb
So i couldn’t feel the pain
Some even say
Wrong place, wrong time
Or
My friend wanted me to try

Now look what THAT addiction got them
Tryin not to drop the soap
or
Left families with no hope

But not I said the Youngin’!
I found my addiction
And its FDA approved
I dont have to sneak it, snort it, shoot it, or smoke it.
I dont have to put it in a pot
Add some baking soda and water
And cook it til it gets hard
I wont get locked away
For listening to Coltraine
I dont think the Chi-Lites are gonna kill me
I doubt Aretha and Nancy
Are gonna give me nightmares
However, that Strange Fruit
Yes, that fruit, hanging there
That simple diddy
That’ll give anyone a scare

What ever happened
To the day when Musicians had something to say
To the time when
It was cool
To say something that meant something?
What ever happened to the Marvin Gaye’s?
Oh wait,
His own daddy killed him
Where in the world is Arrested Development, Mavis Staples and Sade?

Well, I dont know where they are
But I know where I am
I sit here
Addicted to that ‘next track’ button
Addicted to the marriage
of the word and the melody
Addicted to the voices
Addicted to the lyrics
Addicted to the bass, hi-hats,808, and snares
Addicted to the guitar, violins, chellos
Addicted to the ebony and ivory keys
That officiate the marriages
Of those words and melodies

The melodies help me keep my sanity when I feel like the world is tryna murder me
I see songs when I sing and hear notes when i listen to my heart beat

And I have one thing to say about my addiction
‘If there’s a cure for this, i dont what it, I dont want it’
=)♫