My Minor Insignificant (but great) Boston Dislike

The first time* I followed journalist Toure on twitter, I read a discussion between him and several of his followers on what sports teams they loved. In this discussion Toure made a claim to the effect that having to like a team based on location was silly. To each their own. I have nothing but love for my hometown teams in the following order: Knicks, Mets, Giants, Yankees, Jets.* The only teams that I've come to greatly dislike are simply because I'm from NY.

I greatly dislike Boston sports teams. This is not the first time I've stated this fact. My first article for a college newspaper was my new-found disdain for the Boston RedSox (fall 2003-you know what was up),which was essentially brought about by crazy Boston fans yelling anti-NY epithets everyday of my first semester. Not being above any of it, I took their behavior and went overboard declaring war against the Red Sox, Pats, and even the Celtics. My behavior made no sense. In essence I was upset that the Red Sox declared war on the Yankees, so I retaliated in like and have since focused on staging a one woman war.

I am Giancarlo Esposito in this scene:

(Yes, I'm aware that I use this scene to explain everything. It resonates greatly with me.)

So as NBA Playoffs come once again and the Celtics make their move....as baseball starts warming up and my heart hopes for the Mets... I'm taking this time out to say: Boston Sports teams, I dislike you mainly because of Red Sox Fans, but I completely respect your players. However, its time to fall back.

And don't step on my Jordans!

*Based on Toure's tweets I believe that several of his followers un-follow and re-follow on a regular basis. I first followed back in May/June of 2009. I unfollowed, but I've been back for a little while. There's good stuff in there

*Obviously, I'm only sticking to major professional leagues. I was tempted to throw the Brooklyn Dodgers up there. I own a hat. I grew up near Ebbets Field. However, they never existed when I was alive. I'm also not the biggest sports fan, so I actually don't hate the Yankees despite liking the Mets. The same goes for the Giants and the Jets. When the Brooklyn Nets arrive they will be last in the list.

Do the Right Thing: Celebration Continued Part II ---> The Music Part I

It's a twitter music monday yall. Catch my tunes.

Today's extra hot. I was in the emergency room and saw too many heatstroked seniors. Guess that means its time for another installment about Do the Right Thing, set on the hottest day of the year.

Now any die hard Spike Lee fan will tell you about Joe's Bedstuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, Spike Lee's 1983 thesis and how that launched Spike's career and yada yada yada. That's your Spike Lee fact for the day. Instead I'm going to focus on Spike and music.

The same year Lee was filming his thesis, hiphop was still in its infant stage and rap was forming a personality of sorts. In 1983, Grandmaster Melle Mel (and possibly Grandmaster Flash..there's some sketchiness with the credits) came out with White Lines. The unofficial music video starred Laurence Fishburne and was directed by none other than Spike Lee.

Grandmaster Flash White Lines
Uploaded by papafonk - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Immersed in the politics of the day and all the characteristics of hip hop culture: innovation, rebellion, political dissatisfaction and the excited emergence of a new voice for an underclass, Lee merged his art with hip hop music and Do the Right Thing earned its place in hip hop history.

From directing the Public Enemy video which served as the movie's theme:


to the opening sequence:


to the costuming, language, and of course Radio Raheem and that big ol music box blasting hip hop


Lee incorporated hip hop into his work in a manner that had not been done before, epitomizing it as a form of black expression and often contrasting and comparing it to jazz sensibilities with its own culture of innovation, signifying and protesting.

Do the Right Thing isn't the only movie in which Spike has used the dynamics of music to emphasize his point, but the movie and its writer-director have left a clear mark in the hip hop community inspiring pieces such as
UNI-K.R.E.A.M.


and whatever Jermaine Dupri, Ciara and Nelly cooked up for this.

Nelly ft Jermaine Dupri & Ciara - Stepped On My J's (New)
by foxysoul

Following my Do the Right Thing Tribute?
Part One: Scary Do the Right Thing Muppets

Hell Nah, Ain't No Way

Yet another rip of the same Buggin' Out scene from Do The Right Thing.Why 2 posts today? While studying, I checked out Honorable Media for a study break and peeped that Nelly had a new song with Ciara and Jermaine Dupri about Jordans. Since I pretend to be a sneaker fiend, I peeped the video and low and below they went Giancarlo Esposito on me. I guess since UNI is much less well known its alright that two artists did exactly the same movie rip in a year. I personally think the UNI one for K.R.E.A.M is better, but check Nelly out.

Nelly ft Jermaine Dupri & Ciara - Stepped On My J's (New)
Uploaded by foxysoul

See, I told you that NIKE tag would come in handy. Just didnt know it would be so soon.

EDIT: Lets also peep Ciara's Ankle Bag. I think its Chanel. Really Tho?

I ain't saying nothing, but I'm just saying

....when black people did this, Fred Hampton ended up dead. Let's just hope our friend Al doesn't stir anything up. Because while I, like Spike, am confident in black folk's ability to act rationally, I do not have the same confidence in Al.

People we do not need another long and hot summer to teach us to Do the Right Thing.

Somewhere Sammy is reminding us we can all get along

(p.s. there will always be more Spike loving..I'm doing my dissertation on whiteness in black films. You know he is all up in there)

HAUL,
The Queen

Money, It's gotta be the shoes/Crown Heights, again./ What's really hood, Meagan Good?

Back during my obsession with U-N-I's "K.R.E.A.M." and the video, I also did a Throwback special on Spike clips, including the commercials he did with Jordan. Now all love of the Spiz'ike aside, Mr. Lee has been making quite some noise at Cannes. First off is the news that he will be doing a documentary on His Royal Airness, Michael Jordan himself. Peep the Variety article here. Yay, excitement. Think we'll get a little celeb-style gossip about the post-marriage era? I really don't care, but it just may be entertaining. Better yet, do dyou think he can do a Michael Jackson documentary?

But that's not all getting Spike attention. He also has a film coming out this fall that focuses on black soldiers during WWII. He let Eastwood have it for making two WWII films back to back that featured an all white army. I'm not sure what the exact segregation laws were then, but I'm certain there were some black soldiers there. It's a shame that in 2008 the entertainment industry has still not come around to the idea of inclusiveness. New York is not an all white city and the nation is not an all white nation. So while groups of friends and families may be of all one race/class/creed at least be a little representative in the people bumping into them. Read Spike's comments here.

And my requisite New York Times article. Crown Heights. Sigh. Apparently things don't change.

Also, Meagan Good, Vanity? I thought Vanity Fair reserved that for up and coming actresses trying to get noticed. Oh well, guess I answered my own query. Y'all know Cousin Skeeter was a long time ago. But then again, Jurnee Smollet just got her picture and they were both in Eve's Bayou together. And well, apparently Good is a producer now too.

a 3fer, really I should be learning stats.



http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986150.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hikJlTUDy35zQ7x5J8LpXidpmZhgD90Q2PIO0

American Gangster: What Happens When They Put a Brother on the Wall

I just came back from seeing American Gangster, and my most prominent thought is Do the Right Thing. I know, two different directors, and with the exception of Ruby Dee different casts, but the similarity of two simple scenes was left etched on my mind. In the words of Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) from Do The Right Thing, "Why ain't there any brothers on the wall?"

What trips me out in this historical fiction (mostly historical, but adapted for the screenplay) is the subtle commentary on race that director Ridley Scott does not play up, but he does recognize. In Russell Crowe's character's attempts to figure out who disseminated Blue Magic, he starts by placing pictures of suspects on the wall. The bulletin board in his office quickly becomes full of Italians. Watching it, I did all but say, "Hey Sal, why ain't there any brothers on the wall?" Time and time again the idea that it would be ludicrous for a black man to have power over the drug game was hinted at. Once Frank Lucas was discovered, the question then became "Who does he work for," and the Italians still remained on the wall.

American Gangster is a difficult movie to dissect. While many are quick to put it with the legions of mob films like Godfather and Scarface(which I admittedly haven't seen), the film becomes complicated with race issues which then gets tied up with morality. Hearing cheers in the theater as Frank Lucas, a black man, took over the drug trade in Harlem, it became necessary to pause. You want to say yes for black business, but not to black on black crime. Is black on black crime better than Italian on black crime? Is that a question that should even be justified?

Still in the end, a racial scorecard is kept and Blacks still lose. At one point in the movie Lucas mentions that these are immigrant groups that came to America after Blacks were first imported as slaves, and they too were able to exploit blacks. If you need a movie reference for the history of this, go watch Gangs of New York. Frank Lucas ends up in jail and his family and operation are torn down, but the mob families go untouched, and are even used as a possible threat to Lucas's career.

Thinking back to how everything came down the weakest link proved to be one of Frank's brothers, who allowed himself to be wired in order to save his life. Is this to say that blacks can't mobilize because the one that's threatened always gives up the answer instead of fighting to the end. It was always the house slave that told the master about the plots to run away, wasn't it? If that's the case then I say the disciple Peter was black, because he betrayed Jesus three times in less than 24 hours.

So, American Gangster doesn't leave any main character as the hero. Frank snitches, Russell Crowe's character is extremely flawed (and really just took on Frank because he found Blue Magic on his dead friend) and the crazy NY detective commits suicide because he was crooked. Still, the mob can go on and live their life and continue to destroy families. Should we honor the mob? No. But something about the resilience of Ruby Dee as Frank Lucas's mother leaves a beacon of hope for us all. Maybe, the real lesson lies in her strength and her largely untold story.


On another note, isn't it strange that JayZ's most acclaimed album since Reasonable Doubt brings him back to the drug game. I know there are deeper lessons about life, business prowess, and respectability to be gained from the movie as well as Mr. Carter's album, but it's interesting to note that his tales of being rich and a mogul don't strike the same cord as his rhymes about an O-Z.

HAUL,
The Queen


P.S.
props to Russell Crowe on the accent, and Cuba Gooding Jr. I still have a bone to pick with you. Don't dupe me into thinking you're going to do something worthwhile ever again. I think I've lost whatever hope I was holding out for you

Throwback Pop Culture Video of the Week

In honor of my new love of U-N-I and K.R.E.A.M. (also peep their songs Beautiful Day and Fat Girls), I'm posting two --yes two--classic Spike Lee clips from which U-N-I drew inspiration from for the K.R.E.A.M. video.

First up, someone uploaded this for a class I took last year, and I had the joy of analyzing this scene from Do The Right Thing. Here a white guy, wearing a Larry Bird Boston Celtics jersey(can anything symbolize more whiteness...repping racist ol' Boston? ugh..) steps on Buggin' Out's, played by Giancarlo Esposito, Jordans and all hell breaks loose. Gentrification==> dirty sneakers.




Second up, one of the series of Spike's commercials for Nike. Peep the hat...remember the Inglewood cap.."Money, It's gotta be the shoes!"




Step on my shoes, I will kill you....

HAUL,
The Queen