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Dr Boyce on Nas and His Tax Problems
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices, Syracuse University
Hip Hop Wired is reporting that the rapper Nas is having some serious financial problems. In addition to owing his wife Kelis $44,000 per month in child support, it turns out that the artist also owes the federal government another $2.5 million in taxes. Here are quick thoughts about Nas, love and money:
1) Nas has a complicated life. His decision to marry the "love of his life" is going to cost him for the rest of his life. The rapper’s tax situation could be due to irresponsibility (as appears to be the case with Method Man and Nicolas Cage), or it could simply be a matter of using write-offs that were not allowed by the IRS. We can’t assume that Nas’ tax trouble automatically makes him into a horrible citizen.
Your Black Education: The Gift of Canibus: Hip-Hop and Anti-Intellectualism
The Gift of Canibus: Hip-Hop and Anti-Intellectualism
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer – YourBlackWorld.com
“History is a weapon being used against us/
Humanity has been abused before but few remember/
… Turn the radio and TV off, think for a second/
Technology is a blessing but it’s also a weapon/
A weapon of mass destruction giving global instructions/
Teaching us how to hate but does it in a way that we love it/
Take my beloved rap music, erase the beat/
Consumers act like they’re afraid of intelligent speech/”
- Hip-Hop artist and philosopher, Canibus, in One Ought Not To Think.
Canibus, like the herbal supplement, Cannabis, is as subjective to the user, as the value of Hip-Hop music is to the listener. In the course of this essay, I, a Canibus fan/student, seek to make a case for the artist otherwise known as Germaine Williams. Though a marginalized figure, Canibus is an Emcee; an artist; a lyrical scientist; a philosopher; an educator; a history lesson, and an infinite source of inspiration to those wrestling with dominant forms of anti-intellectualism being wielded against music lovers. I personally believe Canibus to be a rare mineral resource in an industry engulfed with misogyny, homoeroticism, opulence, hollowness, illiteracy, and cronyism. Since 1996, Canibus has struggled to keep Hip-Hop’s demons at bay. But, truth be told, that struggle remains a contentious one, even till this day. To be sure, Canibus is not a name fluttered on the lips of Black and Brown kids; but perhaps this reality further reinforces my claim, that his wit, perspicacity and voluminous vocabulary is perceived more as a threat, than an accomplishment, in the Hip-Hop realm of existence. Canibus teaches us in – perhaps his most lucid track to date – Poet Laureate II, that Hip-Hop music’s demise lies in its inability to grapple with the ongoing battle being waged between the quest for power, and a declining zeal for poetically-inspired rhymes [...]
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Your Black Hip-Hop: Kanye West & Ludacris Receive Harsh Reviews
Ludacris “Theater of the Mind” (Island Def Jam)
For some odd reason, Ludacris feels the need to prove himself on his latest studio CD.
“Theater of the Mind,” the rapper’s sixth album, is full of trash talk as to why he is rap’s “MVP.” But talk is cheap.
Ludacris is not only a platinum rapper, he’s also a major success in film, TV, on the Web and even in the food industry (the rapper opened a Thai restaurant in Atlanta). He’s also known as one of the game’s best lyricists.
But he disappoints on “Theater of the Mind” by trying constantly to prove it with boasts that are boring and empty, devoid of the cleverness we’ve come to expect from Luda [...]
The concept isn’t difficult to grasp. Kanye West’s mother died suddenly one year ago, and a few months later, the superstar rapper and producer broke things off with his fiancé. West spent two weeks in Hawaii recording what he calls a “pop” album.
The production is minimal and chilly in a way that recalls Junior Boys or early Depeche Mode. The basic beats were created using the old school Roland TR-808 drum machine.
The vocals — overwhelmingly sung, not rapped — have almost uniformly been processed by the pitch-correction software AutoTune. All this is intended to create a sombre soundscape that reflects West’s emotional state, and on paper, the math is simple and appealing. In actual practice, however, things go horribly wrong [...]
Your Black Hip-Hop: Kelis Acquitted, Will File Lawsuit Against Police
Singer Kelis was acquitted of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges in a Miami court late last week. The judgment came down Thursday (September 11th) after evidence surfaced during trial that contradicted prosecution accounts.
The artist, whose full name is Kelis Rodgers-Jones, was arrested in March of 2007 after authorities said she tried to disrupt an undercover police operation by screaming racial epithets and rushing toward two female officers posing as prostitutes. Seems the “Milkshake” singer’s rage was sparked when her husband, rapper Nas, was among a group of African Americans being questioned by police at Jerry’s Deli in connection with a prostitution sting.
The 28-year-old was later detained, charged, and released on $1,500 bond.
Now that the judge in the case has ruled that there was no basis for her arrest, Kelis is planning to bring a civil suit against the Miami Beach Police.
“I’m thrilled that justice prevailed in the end,” Kelis told AllHipHop.com. “Racial profiling is a very serious matter. Unfortunately, most victims learn to deal with this form of harassment in their daily lives because they feel that they don’t have a voice or because they’re not able to absorb the costs to legally fight it in court. I hope that this sheds light on the fact that wearing a uniform and carrying a badge does not allow you to act above the law.”
Your Black Education: Book Review of “Reggie Wakes Up”
Book Review of “Reggie Wakes Up”
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer – YourBlackWorld.com
With the recent victory of President-Elect Obama, many have speculated a change of attitude in young black men, vis-à-vis the thirst for educational prowess. Whilst this prediction does seem, by all measures, accurately reflective of the lingering emotion within Black circles, some have suggested the need for a handbook of sorts, as necessary in guiding Black students, male and female, toward a more promising future. Of such is Zekita Tucker, a St. Louis author and publisher, whose advocacy for Black students builds on the legacies established by W.E.B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, Janice Hale, etc. Zekita Tucker, of fame “Don’t Call Me Nigga
,” has a new book out titled, “Reggie Wakes Up 
.”
Reggie Wakes Up is a blueprint for teachers and students alike – with an emphasis on public schools. [...]
Meant for ages 8 and up, Reggie Wakes Up takes a hard look into the public school system, and its effects on the psyche of Black students [...]
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