Ms. Badu

I know most of you think I'm posting this because the beautiful and talented Erykah Badu finally gave the world a look at that fantastic rump of hers. In actuality, this is an amazingly creative song and video. This woman never ceases to amaze me as an artist. Her personal life is kinda confusing, but whose isn't? I hope you all enjoy it, and she has finally killed the myth that you can't trust a big butt and a smile. (two of her most amazing assets) I hope that she one day gets the exposure and acclaim for her artistry and risk taking. It's long overdue. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?

BACK ON MY HIP-HOP SH#%T

You can't pass up a line up like this. This is one of those cyphers that I would pay to see. I don't really know Una Kasa or Rex, but they sounds legit. The rest are BONA FIDE SPITTERS!!! I'm just glad to hear lyrics again. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?

15 Minutes of.....

I was thinking about the idea of "15 minutes of fame". Why is the 15 minutes of fame the only 15 minutes that are defined in our life? If the average person lives to the age of 75, we have 2, 628,000 intervals of 15 minutes in our lives. Why do the 15 minutes that deal with fame get to shine and the others do not. I've decided to define the other 2,627,998 intervals of 15 minutes in our lives. I'm sure that it can be done.

This time I'm gonna focus on the 15 minutes of Doubt. Doubt is such an odd feeling. It seems to wash over a person at the most inopportune moments. One of the times that doubt gets to me is when I think that I'm doing good work with a client. Sometimes I feel like I'm actually making a difference in another human beings life and then I remember that we only spent 1, maybe 2 hours out of 24, working with that person. Then I begin to think that they are returning to their elements. The same elements, that caused or are causing the condition that they are getting counseling for. It is worse when you are working in a residential rehab. You would be 100% certain that a difference was being made. Then, once they leave the facility, its like the reset button was pressed. Even working at the High School; you work with a student for maybe two periods and you work hard to inspire, and enlighten; but often you have that fleeting thought of doubt. It lasts about 15 minutes. once you realize that you are doing more or working harder than the client, the feeling goes away. A good counselor knows that when you realize that; its time to pull back. I've often heard that was my main drawback as a counselor. Occasionally, I pushed them too hard. Once I meet my client, I begin to tabulate their potential. I don't demand perfection, but I promote progress. Once, I had a client say to me, very agitated, "Look, man!!! I just wanna stop doing coke, OK!!!!! I just wanna stop doing coke!!!!!" I'm not sure if it is a blessing or a curse, but I've learned that help not asked for is meddling. My goal is to be effective, efficient, inspire, accommodating, and understanding. More often than not, that means; meeting a person where they are, and walking with them. Not leading. Not following. Just offering support and belief. There is no room for doubt. Screw Those 15 minutes. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?

Acting Black

Recently, I was struck by the comments of actor, Nate Parker. He has taken a pledge to no longer take roles that emasculate black men or the image of black men. I originally thought that this was a cool stance for an actor to make; but the more that I think about it, the action is quite heroic. Then it hit me; not much has changed with the roles offered to or recognized for black actors nowadays. It seems as though degrading roles like Steppin Fetchit are becoming extinct, but are being replaced with the Holy Trinity of Black Male Actor's Roles:

1. The Misogynist- A man who loves nothing more than to tear women down and has no real love in his heart for females. Especially Black ones. This character never has a back story that will give you any insight in to his attitude or behaviors. It seems as though he was just born this way.

2. The Thug- This character has grown up on the wrong side of the tracks and is well versed in crime and "criminal" ways. Every now and then, this character achieves a level of success but desperation, addiction, or some other character fault, leads him back to his "true self". This character never feels completely comfortable with positive or honest actions/behaviors. It's as if he's allergic to good things. With this character, a good/positive action almost always results in his death.

3. The Safe One- This character is always funny and always brings a wisdom to other characters that he obtained through his life of adversity. You'll know this character because he s always alot older or younger than the main character. This character is always afraid of success.

Think back. Do you remember any black male character in a major motion picture that didn't fall into one of these categories? And I'm not talking about The Tyler Perry movies or the obligatory urban crime dramas. Since no African American, (including Oprah) has the power to green light a movie, we have to believe that these depictions are the safest ones for white America to identify with. We have to believe the story of Biggie, with all the similarities of your average everyday "hood" movies, was somehow more sensational and layered that the sorry of Tupac, with his roots in the Black Panthers, his study of the arts, and his trouble in the limelight.

I applaud Mr. Nate Parker and hope that more black men in Hollywood follow his lead. If they do, I imagine the presence of Black males in cinema will change from Caricatures to Characters. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?