When?

Is it wrong to blame the disenfranchised for their alienation in regards to this American system? Their unwillingness to conform to the contradictory themes that hold this broken republic together. Their resistance to ideas and lifestyles pre-determined by social institutions. There fight simply illuminates the ways in which we have been silent? When have we had enough? These are the questions we must ask ourselves at what point do the contradictions become to much? When do we challenge the system and seek to struggle to create a new path? One that allows for humanity to be restored and justice to be claimed by all?

Successful

"I just wanna be successful" Drake

These are simple words buts they articulate the vision that drives me. The desire to create a legacy for my children to stand on. Ultimately success represents a better chance for my family to avoid some of the obstacles that I had to face. Success is the ability to define one's future and to not be crippled by past mistakes or societies limits. My hard work is a down payment on a better life for my family that is yet to come. It is this reality that should inform the decisions we make. We should move beyond instant gratification and societies rewards. These rewards are nothing more than traps to keep us off the righteous path. So let us reexamine ourselves and society with a new vision. Then and only then will we be on the path to true success. When we have allowed the individualistic motives of success to be abandoned for a sense of success that others can prosper from.

Struggles with poverty

Being black in America has always presented an added barrier to the realization of the American dream. However, as I look back at my childhood and realize that the issue of poverty was a larger detriment to my stability as a youth. It was the inability to secure the goods that provide for a way of life that allows for potential to flourish. It is the burden of poverty that I seek to break from, it is the presence of poverty that pushes me to better myself at all cost. So although my blackness is a source of pride and produces a set of obstacles that are difficult to deal with I must be honest when I say that the issue of class has defined my existence with a greater emphasis up to this point.

Freedom

Freedom begins when we recognize that we have the right to an existence based on are own ideas. This is freedom when we begin to elevate ourselves above the ideas and beliefs of others. If we are unable to do this we will continue to wear social mask that are neccesary for acceptance. Freedom can only be achieved when we are honest and no longer seek conformity over indviduality or deception over truth.

Legacy

As an African American male I wonder if at times we have lost touch to the historic legacy our ancestors have bequeathed to us. Do we throw away our heritage because we are unwilling to remove the shackles of victimization and hopelessness that controls are conciousness. It is time to embrace the struggle and recognize that the opportunity to be great is just that an opportunity. It is nothing more and this is something that our ancestors understood. They were willing to demand excellence in the midst of oppression and this is what we must do. No more can we be tied down by a sense of entitlement that makes us see obstacles as signs of racism and bigotry. It is time for us to fight to be great. The journey starts now. When we recognize our history then we will better prepare for the future.

Thirst for Revolution

Many of us romanticize revolution. We desire to become part of something we have never tried to understand. Revolution requires more than most are willing to give. We embrace revolution as a theory only applicable in certain environments. This thinking dilutes the revolution. The revolution is a daily struggle; it consumes the individual. It is a process that links to death. You must be willing to struggle until the existing conditions are eradicated. This is what most don't understand. Revolution is never complete until the desired conditions are accomplished. This is why the process of revolution is one that can only be embraced by the children whom embrace sacrifice. To become revolutionary in essence is to become a being that has grappled with and surrendered to the thought of one's own demise. The death of the individual is vital to all revolutions because the desires of the individual succumb to the needs of the masses.

Hip Hop an "Easy Target"

So many times the critique of hip-hop is limited in scope because it does not take into account the fact that hip-hop is a sub-culture heavily influenced by larger American ideas. The pervasiveness of misogyny and violence are emphasized because these are staples of American culture. American society is firmly planted on the ideals of patriarchy and violence these values can be traced back to the formation of this broken democracy. So it is hypocritical to continually attack the contradictions that characterize so much of hip-hop. If we are honest we could see that America If nothing else is a contradiction. A country that espouses freedom and yet has a bloodied past that is connected to the enslavement and persecution of those that were categorized as different. These points are not highlighted to let hip-hop off the hook. It is simply to force us to look at the larger social forces that contribute and influence the themes that pervade the music. It is easy to criminalize blackness and label hip-hop as this evil entity that is destroying our youth. However, it is much harder to critique and challenge the larger social vices that contribute to the destruction of our youth through distorted messages and corrupting ideas. We must be vigilant and challenge evil on all levels and refrain from directing all our ire at the easiest of targets.