N.E.R.D “SEEING SOUNDS” Album Review

“I’ll never forget I was like 7 years old, I closed my eyes and that’s when it happened. I STARTED SEEING SOUNDS!” With the backdrop of music that reminds you of the Pee Wee Herman days, Pharrell spits these words on “Time for some Action” and the trance begins, you become a part of outer space, you’re traveling to Planet N.E.R.D. A world where a hard core hip hop head can meet an alternative skateboard punk rock kinda kid while their both tryna holler at a Soulful, R&B girl. I SEE DEAD PEOPLE, I SEE SOUNDS!

I think the thing you have to love about N.E.R.D albums is that they are not made for the mainstream. It’s almost as if Pharrell and Chad make beats and do cameos on all mainstream music just so they can afford their addiction. Their addiction to making music that transcends a kid from the projects to the suburb with tales of women, drugs, relationships, and everyday life. Expect the beats to blare out your speakers. Tracks like “Anti Matter” might throw you at first but then you’ll realize this ain’t normal, it wasn’t intended to be.

“Sooner or Later” has people who are not typical N.E.R.D fans crossing over into Planet N.E.R.D. The instruments take you somewhere you’ve been before, with every drum snare you are starting to see the picture they are painting, you are beginning to see your own sounds. With a NERD album you are really bound to get double the amount of songs you bargained for. Every song has a bridge where the beat changes up, the vocals change up and you are given a teaser of another dope beat. I guess when you get super producers who make albums they have so many hot beats to choose from they have to be creative to get all of their sound in there.

“Yeah You” finds any male or female’s nightmare; a stalker who just doesn’t get it! If on the album Pharrell and his cohorts were trying to make music where the listeners see the potential video it definitely worked. For this track I see a new version of Black Sheep’s Strobelite Honey video treatment. Most are too young to remember, just go on youtube and look it up.

The smash hit single “Everyone Nose” has the streets buzzing, the clubs buzzing and THE “Black Mac” has been pumping it for months. Celebrity Insiders aren’t even mad that N.E.R.D. is exposing why some girls always feel the need to “POWDER” their noses. On the bridge Pharrell might even be trying to tell the girl to slow down with all her reckless partying while also trying to help himself to some of her wild behaviors. Already an Internet favorite is the extra-terrestrial “Spaz”. With an opening line like “I’m a little teapot short and stout” you have to wonder what the f*** is this song about to be about. Just Spaz if you want to!

I walk into my 16 year old brother’s room, a young dude who is more worried about the new Jordan’s or some Air Force one’s and I hear “Love Bomb” pumping out of the computer speakers. Why is that, why is this album crossing age groups, genres, and racial boundaries. Because everyone needs an escape from reality and that’s what this album offers, FREEDOM. Freedom to say whatever you want, listen to whatever you want. There is nothing typical about the music and the vocals can be just as confusing. But uff it, just go with the flow. Welcome to PLANET N.E.R.D where the norm is not so normal but the catch is you don’t care because you like it! I SEE DEAD PEOPLE, I SEE SOUNDS!

Am I getting Punk’d

So I’m on the net and I run across what may be one of the most hilarious videos of MC Hammer and his corny antics. It’s worth watching if you want to crack up for hours!

I like what Solange did with the video, I must say I am impressed. Got a little conscious, awareness vibe to it. Something you would more expect from E. Badu. Let’s see what else the second Knowles has in store.

Discerning False Prophets

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 1 John 4: 1-4

RASTA SKANK SLUT BITCH AND HER SLUTTY MINIONS PT.1 That was original title of the two youtube videos I have provided below. Ironically this morning I was on the train heading to work and I stumbled upon the above scripture. I did not know that the Lord was preparing me for the nonsense I would later see on the internet.

The internet is filled with disrespectful nonsense towards women but here these brothers are in the middle of New York City publicly embarrassing and disrespecting a woman. Calling her all types of bitches and hoes, skanks and sluts and then attempting to validate these disgusting actions with words from the Bible. I am not God, I am not the Judge but the Lord warned us that false prophets would come and attempt to pollute our minds with such foolery. I sit here and watch these men lie with their words, speaking of the mark of the beast, preaching God’s words but acting like little Satan’s filled with venom. Mobbing and disrespecting the very being that is able to reproduce man and mothers our understanding.

Jesus spoke of love, the Bible speaks of love. It says that he who does not love does not know God so how can you attempt to lead a flock. To bring God’s people out of the damnation that they are in while utilizing the devil’s tactics against one of God’s children. I am by no means free of sin however I am baffled how these men who I watched gang up on these women in a cult like fashion have the nerve to preach God’s words yet not adhere to his principles of love and peace. The Bible asks that we learn the words of God and then continue to spread that to other people.

These false Prophets take scriptures out of context, twist the words and meanings of the Bible and then we wonder why this world is so spiritually confused. We wonder why people sit in their homes and say religion is a sham, spirituality is for the psychologically weak and dependent man rather than the wise, God fearing, loving person. It is because people like this, groups like this who use the word to spread fear mongering, to disrespect and divide people. Beware of these false prophets, I challenge these brothers if you truly love God to allow your actions, your words and your teachings to be more in tune with God’s message of love and respect. Do not sit in the street disrespecting women, manipulating Bible verses to further mis-educate the people of the world. Earlier I said I am not God, so I can not judge nor condemn you but I pray for you my brothers because this blasphemy is looked upon harshly. Peace and Grace be unto you!

What it means to be a NIGGER

A few weeks back as I sat and watched the red carpet section of the Grammy’s I saw my fellow Virgo grace the camera with his wife donning a t-shirt that said “NIGGER”. Wait a minute rewind that back, I saw Nasir Jones better known as “Nas” and a group of supporters of different ethnicities in “NIGGER” Fashion. This is clearly a sign that the times have changed, television has become so liberal, when I was a child they would have blurred out the image at minimum to say the least. Nas was interviewed about his “message”, there were no censors over the word and things went relatively normal. I mentioned earlier that Nas is a Virgo because they are the thinkers of the zodiac and very strategic in their movements, so maybe Nas is titling his album NIGGER and grappling after the publicity that it is causing so that we can have intelligent discourses like the one we are about to have.

Wait one second, before you lose interest in fear that I am about take you on a historical voyage enduring the plight of black people and the socialization of the term Nigger and how we need to accept it to empower ourselves, I promise you I will not. This is not the typical discussion of whether this is a term of endearment or mental slavery. But to understand what the concept of the term nigger we must first look to one of the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance, James Baldwin.

Baldwin says, “What white people have to do is try to find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first place. Because I’m not a nigger, I’m a man! But if you think I’m a nigger it means you need it. If I’m not the nigger here and you, the white people invented him then you’ve got to find out why?”

Baldwin paints us such a vivid picture when he speaks about the system needing a nigger. You see the term nigger is about an institutionalized inferiority complex. The system, those proponents of white supremacy need a nigger to belittle, they need a nigger to make themselves feel better than another group of people because they lack self-esteem. The nigger is needed in order to perpetuate systems of control, a hierarchy within this great land from sea to shining sea. Unfortunately today the term nigger has become synonymous with black people. However this is not the case, this is not the fate of black people; this has been the position of various ethnic groups in America. I will chronicle the stories of three niggers who have been bastardized by a system of oppression and blatant racism in this country without ever painting the picture of a black face!

If you are of Middle Eastern decent, or even look like you could possibly be of the Islamic faith after 9/11, I regret to inform you but the United States has declared you a NIGGER! Your rights were stripped from you; you became the victims of police brutality, random search and seizures, and you are always pulled aside at the airport for more questioning. Why is this; because you fit the “description”, you look suspicious? But none of this is true; it is merely the pigment of your skin and the religious affiliation that you are suspected of practicing which garners you such attention. You watch your faith and belief system ridiculed daily on television, you have become the butt of all jokes. You’re fearful when your children go to school because other children will torment them; forgive them for they know not what they do. You came to this country with hopes of reaching the American dream however you are now living the American Nightmare! The ultimate insult is no longer to be black but it is to be Muslim. Your beautiful, peaceful culture has been tainted by slander; you are now judged by the few who make it tough for the many. Welcome!

Rewind the clocks back before the Civil Rights Era, after the Red Scare, where if you were communist you were a nigger. No, I am speaking of World War II, a defining moment in this country’s history where we joined forces with our allies overseas and toppled the Axis Powers who viciously slaughtered those of the Jewish faith and anyone else in their quest for world domination. Let us look into our backyard at today’s most successful minority, looked upon as intelligent, reserved, model citizens of this great nation; the Asian. Yes in 1942 here in America the Japanese were considered NIGGERS! Stripped of their land, businesses, and personal possessions, some 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced into relocation centers into the interior lands of this country. Placed in prison camps with little to no food to eat and cramped living quarters for large families were just some of the conditions the Japanese had to experience. Propaganda spread through the media about the “Japs” as they were called, “good riddance to the spy’s and traitors”. These were some of the messages about the people who had only a few years prior been trying to assimilate into American culture. They too were in search of the roads paved of gold people from other countries associate with our great America. White farmers benefited with the Japanese farmers gone, they were then able to take over their profit share and make more revenue for themselves. Even the Supreme Court of the United States permitted this racist behavior holding that this exclusion did not violate the constitution arguing “it is permissible to curtail the civil rights of a racial group when there is a “pressing public necessity.” So much for Justice!

Who discovered America? Oh yes I remember we have a beautiful holiday in this country named after none other than America’s most beautiful thief, rapist, and oppressor among other names. Yes I am speaking of Columbus, when we discuss the concept of the nigger we have to speak about our beloved Columbus. You see the Indian; wait a minute what am I saying, Native American is the correct term because this is their native land. When we think of all the horrific things done to black people during chattel slavery our bodies quiver with fear. However, we forget that the Native American watched his woman be raped, and his family die from sickness brought by the Europeans. He watched his people become addicted to substances, his name was changed, and not just his name but also his ethnicity. To this day we call Native Americans Indians because of a mistake that an idiot made. We keep this mistake going forth, Native Americans call themselves Indians even; similar to how African Americans call themselves Nigger, they have embraced the term. Last but certainly not least the Native American was robbed of his land and certainly his culture. The history that they created prior to imperialism has long been erased and they are forced to live on reservations of land and lay dependent on the powers that be. America’s first experimentation with this Nigger concept was and is still in fact the Native American!

So many Niggers over the years, and I use this term loosely for this piece in hopes to articulate the construction of an underclass. That is what it is to be a nigger. Similar to the Untouchables in India, the term nigger is rooted in not only a need for superiority but a mindset entrenched in socio-economic slavery. The ability to legally strip people of the inalienable rights that our Constitution provides for them speaks not only to a power struggle but a constant reminder of who the boss is and what can happen if the system was ever to be questioned. The term Nigger, the concentration camps, the nooses, all of these symbols are objectifiable and measurable elements of what it means to be inferior but deeper than inferiority one must know their place. You see in 2050 the white majority will actually be the minority yet they need not worry because the hegemony and institutionalized racism have made all of the niggers fearful and afraid to jolt the status quo. Nigger is a term of fear; it’s a bastardizing moment in an ethnicities history that emotionally, physically, and mentally scars the people. This fear that is instilled takes over the mind yet keeps the body, the nigger is still used for their talents but their mind will never forget that moment and how much they never want to experience such a moment again.

Malcolm X once said “If you are a citizen, why do you have to fight for your civil rights, if you’re fighting for your civil rights that means you’re not a citizen”. Niggers are not citizens, at least for the time in which they are apart of the social construct of the term. That is why the Supreme Court allowed the Japanese to be placed in internment camps, that is why we allow our media and public officials of the law to bastardize the Islamic faith. That is why Native Americans are still relegated to plots of land on reservations in a country that they once owned and were illegally dispossessed of this land. So next time you hear the term NIGGER, or you go out and purchase the upcoming album NIGGER by Nas, be aware that this term has nothing to do with a specific group of people and more to do with a concept of how to control different groups of people. How to make one fearful, and how to make another group feel superior thus always limiting the power of one and expanding upon the power of the other.

Am I Getting Punk’d:
So I’m surfing the net and I find this random video. WTF is going on, like this has over 100,000 views. If you’re looking for a good laugh just click the link!

Dr. Boyce Watkins supports Father Pfleger and draws some important parallels between the black struggle and the Jewish struggle. I think this is a good video, I appreciate that as a thinker he is challenging us to think!

http://www.yourblackworld.com

Am I getting Punk’d

This is ridiculous, like are students and teachers really throwing down like this is the wwf, or better yet Vegas on fight night. There is so much wrong with this video, it just shows the lack of respect that the younger generation has for its elders. All of this caught on a cell phone camera, WOW!

Real Rap, START SNITCHING….. People need to understand that protecting killers is doing nothing but ensuring your own death, or the death of one of your loved ones. No longer can we sit idly by and watch our people be gunned down!

According to Allhiphop.com
A man who worked security for rapper Busta Rhymes was shot multiple times and found dead in the back of his pickup truck on Wednesday (May 28th), AllHipHop.com has learned.

Police found blood dripping from the backseat of his SUV when they discovered Williams’ body, which was wrapped in a blanket in the backseat of the SUV.
Sources have confirmed with AllHipHop.com that Williams, also known as “Black,” was Rhymes’ bodyguard, although it is unclear if he was working for the rapper as of press time.
Busta Rhymes has been on a tour of Europe and was not in the country at the time of the incident sources told AllHipHop.com.
Williams, who leaves behind two children, reportedly went to Queens to visit his grandmother and ended up missing for almost 24 hours.
Police are still seeking the suspects who committed the murder.
Williams is the second bodyguard employed by Busta Rhymes to be shot dead.
His former bodyguard Israel Ramirez was shot dead on February 5, 2006, outside of a warehouse, where a music video for the remix to Rhymes’ single “Touch It” was being shot
Ramirez, 29, was shot in the chest in front of the building, where as many as 500 people may have witnessed the shooting.

I like the second video the best so far, THOUGHTS?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm9SwCjwEH0&hl=en]