you know what it is

volume 2

Well, well, well...what do we have here? You’re back like I’m crack. I was going to quote Juelz Santana and say “cooked crack,” but I’m not one to waste words…cooking is already implied since it’s common knowledge that crack is to cocaine just like a fish fry is to sushi. 

Speaking of crack, is anyone else still offended that Joe Biden made no mention of DMX’s passing even though we all know his son Hunter & Earl have plenty of things in common? Just me?

Thank you to everyone who read last week, I appreciate the kind words. I also want to highlight the comment section below, get into her because I will not be opening my IG story reply DMs any time soon. It’s called tuning out the chatter, and keeping an air of mystery. You bitches can’t even spell aloof!

What a week this was, I have a lot to say. Let’s get into volume 2 why don’t we? Caveat that you won’t care about: this week we have 4 late things and 6 (!!) great things because I said so.

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LATE LIST

Things I can do without

1) Rolling Loud Miami

Florida does not, and may not have ever given a single fuck. Take a look at this upcoming insanity:

I can’t say I’m surprised that they’re holding this festival in the middle of a Panasonic, because the rap girls are certainly missing that show money and most humans, except for me… are missing social events.

I will be safe at home streaming this without catching The Rona, because that’s not a part of my testimony. P.S Why is Bobby Shmurda’s name so little?? At least we know one person in attendance will have their mask on. Chewy doesn’t play that shit. Be safe tho…

2)Caucasian faux pas post Chauvin verdict

A bunch of white people/places/things had some late & tone deaf responses to Chauvin being found guilty of murder. They ain’t know WHAT to say, looking like Boo Boo The Fool. Nancy Pelosi thanked George Floyd for his sacrifice of being murdered slowly on instagram. She should’ve thanked the black woman who recorded it, the reason why we got to this point to begin with.

We knew Pelosi was a panderer when she was kneeling in the vestibule with the African garb on. Fuck outta here sis! I fake sympathize with “non racist” whites who feel like they have to speak up, even when they clearly don’t have the words…

After the verdict, I shed tears of joy like every other black person and I felt a quietness, which relieved me for a second. All I could think about was when The Phillies won the World Series and they set Downtown Philadelphia on fire…and they were actually in a good mood. And sports aren’t even that serious in comparison to Black Death on Video. Ironically the sports caucasians were especially stale:

The Raiders tried it…tacky, the owner even came out loud and wrong to defend it. The NFL itself came out with a lying statement saying they support change, and George Floyd should still be alive. This organization has shown they don’t care about the humanity, health (both physical and mental) or rights of their majority black players, who are essentially sharecropping their bodies and minds out in the name of football. Less memes, more CTE research please.

3) Ivy League Larceny: Human Remains Edition

On the topic of property & extreme caucasity… my alma mater The University of Pennsylvania, as well as Princeton are in hot water this week. Remains of black children from the MOVE bombing of 1985….

have apparently have been used for years at UPenn + Princeton to teach anthropology, without the permission of the family…creepy and wrong. Now these brilliant institutions have seemingly lost the bones?

Quick recap of this situation:

• Philly gov dropped a bomb on an entire city block, destroying 61 homes, just to target one house full of MOVE a black organization/family.

• They told the neighbors on the block to vacate before they dropped the bomb, and then refused to put the fire out. They rebuilt the homes in a hideous style with minimal effort.

• 11 members of MOVE died that day including children

• Some of their remains ended up in the hands of these prestigious institutions and not buried like the family thought.

The whole thing is exhausting, I watched the online course featuring the bones and I was going to drag Dr. Janet Monge for filth… but I’m not even going to put that dusty energy out there. That’s more of her lane academically, visually, spiritually:

Furthermore, I didn’t even learn anything from the lecture that I didn’t already know. Times like this, I am reminded that I had the hardest mortarboard I could’ve ever had… as I graduated on the Dean’s List from a University which was built on the back of my people, and continues to feed off of them:

Return the bones.

4) The Police

Black people having and maintaining nice things seems to be an impossible concept in America, but I take strange solace in the fact that it’s always been this way. Right after the Chauvin verdict mini victory, we learn the police killed a teenaged black girl in Ohio. Who like myself and DMX was a foster child, which statistically means your life will be fucked up.

Her death was a microcosmic moment displaying what it feels to be black in America: you get something that you rightfully deserve after fighting like hell, sacrificing and never shutting up. Then, on the same day... the evil that you were fighting against, manifests again. Rest In Peace Ma’Kiya Bryant. 

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GREAT LIST

Things that I deserve, and were good to me thus far.

1) Junebug x Yung BBQ

My two favorite black influencers made a few collaborative videos combing their viral talents for the greater good of society. They both bring me so much joy, just like that Japanese form of minimalism you all learned on Netflix. Enjoy:

yungbbq

A post shared by @yungbbq

2) Christopher John Rogers For Target

Despite me not loving the samples shown in the press imagery, I’m hopeful that CJR has some more designs in the cut that might work for me? I am fully devoted to supporting and collecting black designers, and would love to own something from this corporate collaboration especially because of the price, accessibility and historical context.

3) Luther Vandross Day

It was Luther Vandross’ birthday this week and Google had a phenomenal Doodle up for him. Luther was such an angelic talent, and I feel so blessed to have grown up on his music. In honor of his birthday this week, I want to share this incredible story about him:

Cashmere walls…Luther was different.

4) Racism work shop that I thought would hate

My main corporate client has been making us attend mandatory racial workshops ever since George Floyd died. Since I’m black, I feel like I don’t need this. Usually I feel they’re a waste of my time but this week was slightly different, as the instructor said something that inspired me in a simple way:

She said practicing anti-racism is like working out for the first time… it won’t be easy, you may get sore because you haven’t previously worked that muscle but you have to push through for the end result. Every new venture is merely an unworked muscle…

5) Slime Season 2 Deluxe!

I was totally beating myself up for omitting Slime Season 2 from last week’s GREAT list, but my favorite Jeff (known to you as Young Thug) snatched my wig two weeks in a row, releasing the deluxe this past Friday with 8 new songs. I have been a slime since 2014, I even went to a strip club in SouthWest Philly DOLO just to see Thug and Birdman. If you know anything about SW Philly this likely wasn’t the smartest idea…but if you know anything about me, you know I’m good in any hood.

In all honesty, I still haven’t gotten a chance to get into every single song as intimately as they deserve…but the tape/album/compilation is overall super fire. I’m so happy for Yak Gotti for getting his shine. Rowdy Rebel, #1 Brooklyn sex symbol is a stand out on the project with his powerful prose

I do this shit with no pressure

Run up the back end and put up the extra

YOU CANNOT STEP WITH THE STEPPERS

You can’t put dirt on a nigga that’s clean

You truly cannot!!!!!!

6) DMX Funeral Day 1

Based on how many times the start time got pushed back, and me seeing a picture of Jay-Z, Nas & Kanye’s dressing rooms backstage, I started to piece together that this was an entire production. I prayed for it to be Sunday Service, which I proudly and loudly love. I’m never going to hate on anyone for praising God…at my big age, that’s just dumb

Like all black funerals, it didn’t start on time…but when it started it was a masterpiece.

I love this image from the best journalist in the world, Lisa Evers. It shows the pre-pro set up of these screen stages…which as a production professional was incredible. It’s hard for me to watch anything these days without figuring out how they built it and got it to run

Kanye did an incredible job with this service. Everything looked and sounded so cinematic and beautiful. You can never go wrong with a black choir, and if there’s one thing that Kanye knows how to design that’s a soundtrack and a stage. When he played Whitney’s version of His Eyes Are On The Sparrow, I lost it recalling how we lost both DMX and Nippy to drugs. I’ve written about Nippy’s death, while I was still on drugs on Tumblr before.

I also sobbed when DMX’s daughter bodied her rap, while her brothers and sisters surrounding her. DMX had “Exodus 1:7” tattooed on his throat chakra. That scripture says,

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

With 15 beautiful children, I’d say he walked it how he talked it. What a truly special + anointed man of God, who fulfilled his purpose as a living being & now has joined the ancestors in the sky. I loved to see the streets of Brooklyn filled up with #BikeLife in honor of the dog, his procession was ICONIC.

On that note, I need to wrap this up and mentally prepare to watch DMX’s second service on BET at 2:30 PM ET. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, not even in exchange of you clicking one of the following: