I am Treyvon Martin

I am sure that my father in his wisdom would frown if i told him that I went out to go and show my support for Treyvon Martin. A teenager that was profiled and killed unjustly because he was black... After all it is an "American" Problem.. An American race problem.. In an America that has a BLACK president.*

America will sort itself out!

America has a legal system and laws, that allow people to speak out loud and sort themselves out... This logic sounds sound to me, throw in the fact that there is no need to for me to be placed on some sort of watch list for attending a rally that technically has nothing to do with me as a Zimbabwean New Yorker
Besides in relative terms, there are worse problems back home, the thing is...



I am almost 30 years old...



The scary thing about that is that, this was my very first protest (insert side-eye here)...



Maybe Long overdue but here is my argument to my dad assuming we had this conversation.

well...

1
there where lots of "I like art type girls" in attendance

2
I live in a predominately white eastern European Jewish neighbourhood, where they look at me funny and have said racist things AT me at my local bar having a drink

3
There is a 93% chance i made it to someones youtube channel today**

4
I have lived in my building for 4 years now, I still see some of my neighbours hold onto their purses a little tighter when i get into the elevator.

5
Lots of "I like art type girls" there

6
I am more likely to get stopped and frisked because I am black

Racism is still alive and well.... Close Hispanic/White/Asian friends have admitted their parents are a little biased. This is the reality of the world that we live in 2012... Even here In New York City, the most culturally diverse city you will ever come across in the post Nokia 5110 era! Our neighbourhoods are STILL segregated all over the tri-state area, and as much as certain groups call themselves progressive or "cool" with different ethnicity's the honest truth is that it is not a universal truth.

I was touched today when Treyvon's mother said that this is not a white or black thing.. It's a human thing... Which equalled 5 exclamation marks to cap off an emotional event. Today was Human Rights Day, & on Human rights day everyone deserves to see some Bohemian "I like art type girls", and take a stand for something while doing it. In its essence is not an American Problem, African problem, but a universal problem.

It's a problem in Australia, Asia, Africa, North America (except Canada - i get this vibe everything is dandy overt here), Europe and Some other Continents i cant remember right now,

Profiling and prejudice is a universal reality, one we have all lived through.. I have been Trayvon Martin in the past.. I will Be Trayvon Martin again.. I pray circumstances will be kinder to me, as they will be to every Asian, White, Black & Latino person in the future.


* My dad would ask me these questions i am sure only to challenge my conviction, because we where brought up to have our own opinions and definitions... Although i have not spoken to him about this issue, i already know he is disgusted by what happened to Treyvon Martin (The old man lived in NYC in the 70's but more importantly a segregated and blatantly racist Rhodesia)

** will also probably have to explain to my dad what YouTube is

Even When I am By Myself

Be By Myself...

I am Duck Down Staff

I am Boot Camp clique

I am O.G.C…

I’m Little Brother

(even by when I’m by myself).. I am every artist, every head that loves hip hop music…. (Even when I am by myself)
The Indie hip hop community is about as interesting to most people as Yoda was to Luke before he knew what time of day it was! Call this an entry by Asoka Tona (googling will be allowed on this)

I love the break dancing, the pretty ladies that get excited when they hear “Electric Relaxation”... I LOVE it! (Even when I am by myself)
Dj’s that show off a rare Nina Simone record, put it on display in front of his turn table, just to let us know that he has it, and may or may not play it. I love that kinda bragging (those kinda records are hard to find, so dude looked hard for it -> in the hip hop community we call it digging in the crates <-) point is I LOVE IT!!

(even when I am by myself)

Dj’s that will play a Fela song then blend into the hip-hop song that sampled Fela that we all know and love, sample, then blend it into the J Dilla beat that we all know and love, just to let us know HOW it was done… I LOVE IT!!

(Even when by myself)

I love all kinds of music... I go out to all kinds of places… but coming from where I come from, getting the opportunity to actually LIVE hiphop is a dream... I am living it for everyone that is like me (grew up writing down lyrics.. pressing pause, rewind, Make sure what I wrote was correct and say a small prayer on each rewind hoping the tape didn’t snap cus my tape deck had chewed up the tape pretty bad earlier on in the morning)....
But you know what… the community is small (even in NY!)… I’d be selling everyone I grew up with short, by not going/doing this hiphop SHYT!!!!

(even when I’m by myself)

1… 2 I am humble when I meet the community… Call me beast from the East!
So I’m gonna do it, live it.. (Even when I’m By Myself)

I never thought I’d be here… so I’m gonna do it (even when I’m by myself)

I got YOU! If you are like me...

The Slam!

Growing up, my dad always complained that he could never hear what i was saying...

(granted most of these conversations where about me asking for money, for the car, or to go out.... later it turned into going out with the car & with his money).

His message to me was always, "you must speak up, speak fluently and get you're point across"...

I went to my first poetry slam years ago... (don't worry this all ties in)

I love poetry slams! Sometimes the stuff you hear makes you laugh, cry or think (sometimes all). You hear from different people the experience "totally rocks"

Every time i go, i always say to myself, I CAN DO THIS!

I should be able to do it! I can now speak in front of crowds, with a command of the audience. In high school i was on a team that made the National finals of senior debate (lost to some team the president of Zimbabwe went to)**, I was the second speaker!!!! The guy that carried the body of the argument with a little bit of a rebuttal and improvisation thrown in!

Growing up, I was one of those sad boarding school kids, whose parents lived outside the country, so i never had any parental support for any event that I participated in*.. The finals where important to me cus it was me speaking against the school dear dad went to, and he came out to support me.

Senior debate, was cool, the real challenge for my public speaking skills I always felt was when I MC'd the Ms Harare auditions. The senior debate structure is controlled, No heckling and people come in uniforms, with teachers looking etc.

This (Ms Harare) was about, 10 years ago.. auditions where held at Girls High School. As Harare City Junior Councillors we charged people to come in to see the auditions. SO anyone from anywhere could come... The acoustics in the GHS (or was it QE) hall we where using where horrible no mic jus pure voice projection to a bunch of teenagers (i could tell most where tipsy on a pre-afternoon session binge). But i controlled that crowd, when it got too rowdy I came in and SHUT IT DOWN, cracked some jokes, made the show continue. No authority just pure personality!

That was the first time I really had to use crowd persuasion skills in an uncontrolled environment.


Soooo.. That was years ago, but the foundation.

This year I swear i am going to do some live poetry at a slam!!! This summer it's on!!



Watch this space***




* on that note that just makes me a black kid in zim, engaging in extra curricular activities.. so cry for Argentina not me

** Yes Robbed and Mugged (Rob Mug)

*** Naturally noone will be invited excepted maybe that girl (yes that one from previous posts- because ill probably suck big time)****

**** This may also be the last time i see her

The reason why I am still single…

Long day after work, got online, seen one of my boys into old school beats*.

I know it’s sad, but ill look up sumn on wiki, then see how many links I can click on to get to another topic. Say I could google “Charlie Chaplin wiki”. Get onto wiki and see how I can bring that around to Pi (3.14). So as I read about Chaplin, I could see a link that I think could get me closer to my goal (pi)** etc, etc, etc…

I hit up my boy, so we started a new game, but it’s played on youtube (and IM)
First time we did it we started at Kenny Rogers’s song the gambler, object was to see who would get to A Tribe Called Quests song "Scenario" first.

I went thru the version of Kenny Rodgers “gambler” got to his song “Aint No Sunshine” , Stings "Aint no sunshine", Bill Withers "Aint No Sunshine", DMX "Aint No Sunshine"… was trying to work to A Tribe Called Quest.

I lost! Words of wisdom I got from my dude…

E-Jey says (9:51 PM):
Those booty shakers will have hip-hop in there somewhere
E-Jey says (9:52 PM):
from hip hop just find an artist that will link you to the right place
E-Jey says (9:52 PM):
I started from missy
E-Jey says (9:53 PM):
Then Busta, then got you all in check
E-Jey says (9:54 PM):
then tribe
E-Jey says (9:54 PM):
and it was there”


Moral of the story is, there is no moral…but its fun! ****



Any1 wana challenge me??



* I don’t really like the guy, but he is one of my best friends cus our older brothers where best friends, and so we both grew up on that old school hip hop
** between me and u (well both of u) I have a fascination with 3.14 right now- odd- considering I am not into math’s***
*** If i was a serious blogger id be writing about circles etc, maybe another lifetime.
**** Well also black people like booty

Deep Thought

A close friend asked me to reconsider what I am doing with my life, who I talk to, how I spend my time, and really take the time to reevaluate my life…(apparently I keep on complaining)

I thought id take that concept a step further, in high school I was inspired by a concept from the Society of Jesus, I learnt in high school ( I went to a Jesuit Mission School*).. Where at the end of each night Jesuit Priests, reflect on the day that has just passed.
A personal reflection, where one can consider the thoughts that go through ones head. In interactions and situations faced throughout the day. How one thinks in certain situations and how one may have reacted to whatever stimuli they may have encountered throughout the day. The mistakes one has made, the things one did right, etc, and how one may use this knowledge in the days to come… To help make one a better person! It is in essence similar to how Muslims "strive for perfection"

I am not sure if I am doing it quite right! At the end of the night in reflection, here is a typical sample of the things that go through my head, during the day…

“I bought a big box of chocolates, a week or two ago, for some reason there are no Twix candy bars, left!”… (Later in the day)… “Why is my apartment filled with Twix wrappers???”


“Dammit another salad is tormenting me”... (a little later)…”Why does my fridge smell??”

“Maybe I should have taken a shower last week”… (A little later)…. “Why am I still single?”

Maybe one day I will figure this whole life thing out...**




* For all intensive purposes it really was/is
** Or just read the Hitch Hikers guide to the galaxy

A star is born

I think its time, to take my villainy to the next level.

Somehow sneaking more than 11 items into express lanes at the supermarket isn’t doing it for me anymore. As devious as that is, I don’t think, it will get me remembered.

After some thought. I have come up with a 2-point action plan*:

1. Fire Tendai as my hype man, engineer, and consultant.
2. Lie

Steven Colbert coined the term “truthiness”; History is what we make it (depending on who won, or which “truth” appeals more to you/us)

If it’s on Wikipedia then it must be true…

By the time u finish reading this (if u can see this entry), according to Wikipedia.
Eating Tuna will be a sign of worshiping the Big Tuna... the hole in Pandaves door will not be really there… Oprah eats Tuna everyday… New York state law will allow the stealing of beer glasses… Okra will be illegal in 52 states, Singapore, and Hatfield!
Hillary stopped eating Tuna (thus the loss)... the tomatonation will be a recognized state… And in a statement by the surgeon general the nutritional value of Sierra Nevada, will be acknowledged and recommended that the American work force have one or two before work, and have one at half hour intervals every Tu's day (Thursday, Monday, wedensday, Friday), and at 15 minutes intervals for those that have to work weekends!**


* Anything past 3 will confuse my readers***
**This is not to imply the practice is not currently being employed by individuals who appreciate the grandness of Sierra Nevada
*** Ironically, there are only Tu****
**** One of which, wont let me see their blog!

The Emperors New Blog.. Post

I could not for the life of me figure out, why the below post, was not visible…

Then I remembered that it is actually invisible to anyone who lacks intelligence…

Hmmm….

Actually now that I think about this maybe, be the reason why I have been hearing complaints about lack of blog post entries….

Hmm….