Much like Cesar Chavez, we got to know Afrika Bambaataa as a crucial contributor to a movement many of us hold dear. Then, decades later, we came to know him as a monstrous predator and abuser.
And as with Chavez it would be a disservice to whatever we hold dear about the movement, if we sought to preserve our love for that movement by averting our eyes from what we now know about the man. Afrika Bambaataa passed away this morning. My thoughts today are with the survivors of his abuse.
“It really is striking to see how disconnected these people are from reality.”
@jsmooth995 tells @elamin about the moments that lead up to what’s happening right now in Minnesota, and what things like George Orwelll’s 1984 and Gamergate have to do with it.
For the full conversation, find and follow Commotion wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio. 🔗
Some of these tweets/posts/comments I'm seeing, about how Sinners is just a "fun popcorn movie" with nothing deeper going on, remind me of the story Billie Holiday told about a white woman at one of her shows saying: "why don't you sing that one *sexy* song, you know, the one about the fruit!"
Rapper #50Cent partnered with #Netflix to produce and share his documentary series #SeanCombsTheReckoning, detailing the career-defining allegations of abuse against the rap mogul known as #Diddy.
Following the release of the docuseries, culture critics @jsmooth995 joins host @elamin and entertainment reporter @_tarynitup to discuss the series’ approach to unpacking the Diddy scandal.
Last month, rap fell out of the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 for the first time in 35 years, which is absolutely bananas.
Though it’s back now (thank you @theestallion ), it got @elamin thinking: what’s the state of rap right now?
Experts @michellesfresh@jsmooth995 and @mastermindlive came on to tell him what rappers are thinking about the industry and how on Earth they fell off the charts - even if just for a brief moment.
Link in bio for the whole fascinating conversation 🎧
#rap #rapmusic
Looking back on the music legacy of late singer/songwriter D’Angelo who died yesterday: “He was that once in a generation talent.”
@elamin was joined by music critics @jsmooth995 and @daviddtss to dive into how D’Angelo’s music helped to change the trajectory of soul, R&B and rap music as we now know it.
For the full discussion, listen on Apple, YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧
Affirmation
I believe in living
I believe in the spectrum
Of beta days and Gamma people
I believe in sunshine
In windmills and waterfalls
Tricycles and rocking chairs
I believe that seeds grow into sprouts
and sprouts grow into trees
I believe in the magic of the hands
and in the wisdom of the eyes
I believe in rain and tears
and in the blood of Infinity.
I believe in life
and have seen the death parade
march through the torso of the earth
sculpting mud bodies in its path
I have seen the destruction of daylight
and blood thirsty maggots prayed to
and saluted.
I have see the Kind become the blind
and the blind become the bind
in one easy lesson
I have walked on cut glass
I have eaten crow and blunder bread
and breathed the stench of indifference.
I have been locked by the lawless
Handcuffed by the haters
and gagged by the greedy
and, if I know anything at all
it's that a wall is just a wall\
and nothing more at all.
It can be broken down.
I believe in living
I believe in birth
I believe in the sweat of love
and in the fire of truth
and, i believe that a lost ship,
guided by tired, seasick sailors,
can still be guided home
to port
- Assata Shakur, 1947-2025
As this authoritarian wave reaches the point that Hollywood stars are getting touched, it's crucial to remember all the immigrants right there in Hollywood too, still getting the absolute worst of it with no fame or fortune to cushion the blow.
The local organizers who’ve been fighting ICE’s illegal raids on laborers at the Hollywood Home Depot have set up a mutual aid fund, to help these workers and their families. They’re trying to get to $50,000 and every little bit helps! So please help out if you can at actblue dot com/donate/hwma (link in bio)
@groundgamela@latenants@dsa_la@hollywoodlocal_latu@latueasthollywood
I'm hella disturbed by how these liberal media voices are whitewashing that man's legacy but on another level I appreciate the clarity it offers us, as a "here's what they think about you" moment.
The online discussion around Diddy and his legacy has become just as big a conversation as his trial.
Now with the split verdict out, is it Diddy’s legacy we should be worried about? What about the legacy of the women who testified against him? Hip-hop broadcaster @jsmooth995 gives @radheyan his thoughts on the matter.
#diddy #diddytrial
