That's Just Messed Up!

THAT'S JUST MESSED UP!
From a "Why lie, I need a beer" sign to "Barack, the Magic Negro" some things are just messed up. Really there's no other way to describe it.




The New York Post decided to be brilliant and run this cartoon by Sean Delonas which will be interpreted by any smart, current event literate person as Barack Obama, depicted as a chimpanzee, being shot by cops. This is in light of a chimpanzee attacking a woman and cops having to eventually shoot the animal and President Obama pushing the stimulus bill.

Usually, I don't feel the need to discuss issues as blatantly racist as this one. We all know the historical implications of blacks being stereotyped as animals, particularly monkeys, apes, chimps and other non-homo sapien primates. But for all the post-racial hoo-ha that is being touted now-a-days (which I don't believe) you would think we have all moved beyond this. Apparently not.

At least be more creative with it the next time Mr. Delonas. Put a little work into getting people angry. It makes for better discussion.

Cus Some Things are Worth Repeating

Tell em who my people is, Yall know who my people is.

I've posted this video before, but the giddy side of me felt the need to share this again. Master P and Romeo make me giggle...

Black History Month

I'll admit, last years picture was better. But can we celebrate the lack of inflation at Vanity Dark? Everything is still $Free.99 !!!

I've slacked on the Black History Month posting and I've been called out on it. So to get it kick started, I'll direct you to a piece written by my sister over at RBMVibes.com You can check it out and comment on it here: http://rbmvibes.com/2009/02/11/recent-news-what-happened-to-black-history-month/. For the lazy amongst us, I've also copy and pasted her post below.

Sankofa Bird

Black History Month. February.
Thanks to the hard work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Blacks were given the opportunity to reflect with pride and be celebrated not just one day of the year but for a month. Now while we know Black History is 365 days a year the question still needs to be asked, “Where did Black History Month go?” In the face of Obamaism, an infectious desire to be aware of everything the Obama’s do, wear, or go, it appears that Black History Month has been forgotten or less celebrated. Did anyone even notice back in January due to all the, albeit justified, inaugural hype we didn’t get to see Dr. King portrayed by a plethora of black actors on multiple networks?

While many can take pride in the accomplishments of our President, he himself has alluded to the fact that Dr. King’s dream has not yet been fulfilled. Like the Sankofa bird, even though we’re moving forward, we must look back to know where we’re coming from. In the face of the recent news of those who haven’t quite done us proud, Chris Brown, Etta James, I urge all of us to take some time out to celebrate this month in its’ true intentions. Here go some suggestions: visit a museum with a relevant exhibition, view a black casted or black written play, attend your church’s/school’s annual celebration, pay homage to your grandmother, give an encouraging word to a young black kid, watch reruns on BET, buy something by a black designer, make a contribution to the Motherland. Heck, even carry on with your Obamaism. Whatever it is you decide to do let’s not get blinded by the flashing lights if we want something more to celebrate about once they go dim. Create your own history and by all means try your best not to be a statistic.

Old School Friday: New Edition

First off: Happy Black History Month!
The appropriate new cover/banner will be coming soon.

Okay, down to Old School Friday business. Today we are doing songs by New Edition or members of New Edition. I have a tendency to utilize this group often, and in all actuality one of few popular mainstream songs I can recall knowing at 3 or 4 was Poison. (Another is Iesha by ABC, a Ne-BBD derivative). I had no idea how to pick just two. I'm not even going to do my favorite, "Is This The End?" Before my sister got her best of New Edition CD from one of those Columbia House memberships, I was much more familiar with songs by members of New Edition than New Edition themselves. This was mostly due to TV. So I bring you two songs and their corresponding Family Matters moments, because I was apparently raised by TGIF.







Skip to 7:20 for a typical mini singing moment on Family Matters



Skip to 1:55 for a guest star moment



Goodness, they never stopped: really was their demographic watching TGIF that often?


I actually miss Being Bobby Brown. That ish was hilarious and I have no shame in my tv show choices.
Happy OSF! Check out other participants here: http://www.themarvalusview.com/osf/

Haul,
The Queen

OSF: Remakes

This week Old School Friday is dedicated to remakes. Oh we could take this very very far. Once upon a time I started an IMeem playlist dedicated to this, but didn't get very far. Remakes can either be good (think Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton) or bad (think Mariah Carey remaking her own version of Hero... Why?). Sometimes they're just downright funny.

Remake: MASE, Puff and 112 "JEALOUS GUYS" (1997)


Original Remake: ABC (Another Bad Creation) "JEALOUS GIRL" (1991 I admit to not knowing about this remake until today)


ORIGINAL: New Edition, JEALOUS GIRL (1983)



Undoubtedly, the best remakes ever are always on Sesame Street!

Sounds the Same

Which version did you like the best?

Check out other OSF participants and rules here and HAPPY OLD SCHOOL FRIDAY!

HAUL,
Kim

My President is Black? MICHELLE IS TOO!

Way back when I started blogging, one of my first posts was an acknowledgment of a family hobby-rewriting song lyrics to fit whatever we felt like. So yes, as a recent college grad I penned "Bouncing" the broke girl's version to Jim Jones's "Balling." Unfortunately I'm still Bouncing since I said forget a job and went back to school, but that doesn't mean I have lost my ability to make awful remakes of current rap blockbusters.

I bring you the beginning of my latest opus: "My President is Black....And Michelle is Too." These songs tend to get written on the train, and this one was born as I crossed the Manhattan Bridge two days after the inauguration. I have to print the lyrics to the actual song so I can match the rhyme scheme and include some of Michelle's other traits (i.e....her education, career, overall flyness).

My President is BLACK/ AND so is his BOO/ She's the new "M.O." with a fly hair do/Italian Leather Gloves/ and silk shifts in navy blue/ Forget the Gap we all shop at J. Crew...- Me, expressing my love of Michelle Obama

--Original Version: "My President is Black " Young Jeezy
Remix with Nas
Jay-Z Take

My President is Black-Vanity Dark
In case you haven't realized: I'm kind of a joker and not aspiring to be a real rapper...ever. This also isn't an endorsement of Young Jeezy, even though this song is ridiculously catchy.If someone wants to get me real video editing software, I can get high tech like this dude.





HAUL,
Kim

My Favorite Scenes: Poems

One of my favorite essays is one that I wrote on revolutionary poems during the Black Arts Movement. (Noted one of the worse essays I've ever written was my high school senior thesis on the evolution of slam poetry.) Obviously I wasn't expecting a "poem that kills"* during the inauguration. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. For someone who loves poetry, competed in prose and poetry, and was forced to memorize more poems that I can remember as a child, I have never enjoyed watching poets reading their own poems. With the exception of slam poetry, I usually find it to be a little lacking.

It's not really her fault, David Alan Grier had us all waiting to go "Hosanna Obama" and he set us up to be disappointed.

Chocolate NewsWednesdays 10:30pm / 9:30c

Maya Angelou's Benediction

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

Get Funny Ringtones
Stand-Up Comedy

So great poem, Elizabeth Alexander.(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html) But here's a little something to help you with your delivery (and I really needed an excuse to share the following).

The Fresh Prince: Rafael de la Ghetto "Charge of the Light Brigade"




Another one of my favorite poetry on television scenes comes from A Different World, the Mammy episode. There they performed "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and "Ego Trippin" by Nikki Giovanni making me forever in love with the latter. I can't find an embeddable version, but you can catch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3cGgr-Rz-w.

Do you have a favorite poem or poetry moment?

* Get up on your Amiri Baraka "Black Art" here: http://www.nathanielturner.com/blackart.htm
I didn't say you have to like the man.

Check out more of My Favorite Scenes here: http://vanitydark.blogspot.com/search/label/MY%20FAVORITE%20SCENES

HAUL,
KIM