It was with much dismay I previewed the Latin Grammys show that took place on Thursday, November 11, 2008. I have wondered for years what happened to the great Black voices and musicians in Spanish-American music. Chano Pozo and his Afro-Cuban All Stars was the best remembered for our times. He was followed by Beny Moré, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Mongo Santamaria, Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera. These musicians dominated popular music in Latin American countries from the late 1940s to mid 1980s. I am sure there are blacks left in these countries that produced talents such as Rafael Ithier, the leader and creator, of the greatest salsa band ever El Gran Combo. I am sure there are neighborhoods where the talent from their descendants is ensconced.
I believe this is the type of travesty that comes from stereotyping. The image in the popular media of an Hispanic-American is non-black; maybe brown skin with wavy straight hair. Tego Calderón is one the few who have been able to break through despite race; even though it took him many years to gain popularity. I first listened to what is called Salsa somewhere around 1966. It was brewed out of several musical genres originating in Cuba and took hold in New York City in the 1950s. It was not always Salsa, and this nomenclature has has it own controversy among purists including the likes of Tito Puente who hated the word. A lot of the talent came from Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican neighborhoods in New York; names such as Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez, Joe Bataan, Roberto Roena or Cuban expatriates such as Monguito, mostly black men. Most orquestras were mixed and integrated compared to the bleached bands of today.
Reggaetón which originated in Panama by black West Indians is now popularized by people such as Daddy Yankee, even though there are several equally talented black performers in Panama; and I am sure in his homeland Puerto Rico. An interesting aside, is in the videos for Ivy Queen, a female reggaetón singer, her interests are black males or Daddy Yankee black women are feature prominently contrasting the videos by Hispanic black performers who have white or indigenous women as their prize or love lorn interest. Of course, much of this seems to be nit-picking about racial issues that may not matter to many, but consider that in Latin American there are close to 180 million black Spanish speakers which double or triple the amount of blacks whose first language is English. It is hard to imagine that with that that many people are bereft of talent that is not adaptable to the USA.
Of course, this purification of music goes back to the start of recorded music. The point with Spanish popular music is best described by what Elvis Presley did with re-interpreting black music in the 1950s. Consider that Rock and Roll had mainly black artists until 1955. Revisionists now call that early R&B, but it was Rock and Roll. It morphed to what is now considered modern Rock and Roll with an occasional black face but mostly white performers. Today's black Rock and Roll artist are excluded much the way music from the tropics excludes the black faces that once dominated the genre. Of course, in the USA Rap and Hip Hop became outlets for expression typically done by Rock and Roll. Black artist have a way of reinventing sound to make it pleasurable. It is my hope there are some alchemists of sound in Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, Venezuela, etal, that have something we will all enjoy but they can use to rise to prominence.
Something akin to Rap and Hip Hop that cannot be easily usurped.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Two Poems one for Panama and one for the USA
The Eviction and the Conviction
By Daniel Webster
I am naked and in despair
walking through the streets
with two pillows to cover me
past 3 churches
all with the name Gospel
on their building
with the following music playing
in my head
songs for the love who is pregnant
songs for the soul that needs saving
damnation for the soul that is lost
and songs for the loved one who is crazy
congas roll, congas roll, congas roll, congas roll
past the pretty black skin
interrupted by the loud colors
of clothing
shouting up to the sun
that blesses the skin and sweat upon their beings
with a harmonious glow:
pink, red, yellow
the colors yell proud and loud back
YES, we are pink, yellow, green, blue
on our way to church
songs, songs, songs…
I float by a bus sitting in front of a church
a brother looks at me as if to ask:
“Is he going in there or he is just going to travel?”
I look for salvation
from my sacrifices
I look for redemption
for my good deeds
I look for ACCEPTANCE
instead of reluctance
I beg for a pen from a man armed for batttle
I say, please I need to write, I have paper but no pen;
they do not want me to write…
songs for the one who is pregnant
songs for the soul who needs saving
songs for the damned who wouldn’t be saved
and songs for the one who is crazy
if I could sing, I would not write
if I did not sin, I would not think
that the psalm of purity
does not exist
It is carried in the wind
we forsake as time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los Prietos del Caribe
Saludos to the earth of my birth, Panama, one hundred plus years old.
Saludos to the earth of my birth, Panama, one hundred plus years old.
Si tienen nada mas agua y bendiciones le hacemos un brindis to the land that gave seed to our roots with the United States; and makes us the unique tri-cultural beings that roam these lands.
Con Voz de Cholo y Ser de Chombo
brown was the land
Con Voz de Cholo y Ser de Chombo
brown was the land
> just like our fathers' hands
> that united the Pacific and Atlantic
> oceans
> over hills filled
> with monkeys
> in this county named after fish;
> their blood not wasted in vain
> though many a body was on that train
> that brought money and the pain
> of being paid silver for work
> now valued as gold...
> their genius, cunning and grace
> made it possible for Panama
> to be the honored place
> in the center of earth's face
> > Viva el 3 de noviembre...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Is the N word still necessary?
It may be another 20 years but the N word {nigger} will become acceptable speech in the USA. It is worldwide to indicate a tough guy, good friend, 'hommie', super-cool persona or artist. A successful singer artist from Panama calls himself Nigga everywhere but the USA, where he is known as DJ Flexx. His most recent effort under the Nigga brand fluctuates between number 1 or 2 in Spanish speaking countries. In a recent interview, where he was challenged as to not understanding the word, he stated he knows the controversy and therefore he changed his brand for audiences in the USA. He is not black.
I am black. At first, I was angry learning that this singer had usurped not only a term but a musical form sang mostly by blacks until recently. Then I realized how difficult it would be to redefine the concept to places where the type of discrimination that exists in the USA produces a poverty that by another country's standard would be considered middle-class. I realized he was calling himself what he was doing musically, and what musicians have done since the ability transmit African rhythms worldwide whether it is bembé, soca, reggae, jazz, rap, etal. Over time the music is denuded, stripped of unintelligible Africanism it reformulated under such names as 'smooth jazz', or 'salsa' that help in diffusion.
Color and suffering are not so easily dilutable. Black worldwide whether in Panama or Japan still denotes poverty, violence and starvation; with, of course a few exceptions, of those who have managed to overcome their visual presentation and transcend even the most racist mind. I watch films from all over the world and black characters still reflect the worst of society. This is particularly egregious in films from Latin American countries that pretend not to have large populations such as Uruguay or Colombia. Brazil is an exception since blacks make up a majority of the population. All these places have their own deragotary terms for their black populations, niche in Colombia, chombo in Panama, prieto in most of Caribbean, while in other places such as Nicaragua the large black populations are so isolated they are ignored.
I am also from Panama, like Nigga; but unlike Nigga, suffered under the term chombo. The implications are the same as nigger but not worse. The etymology of the word chombo stems from prisoners used mostly as slave labor who had their sun charcoaled arms (chombos) exposed. Many of these workers were from the West Indies. It was used derisively to discrimate. It was used against me. It still angers me when a non-black person uses it, but because of the popularity of blended Jamaican and Panamanian music called reggaeton, it is now a term of endearment if not exaultation. There is an artist called El Chombo, and he is mixed, and would be considered black in the USA. In Panama, could be a chombo, but never denigrated for it like many other people. The distinction between there and here is people mix and move on.
Nigger is a purposeful white mispronunciation of the Spanish word negro, and for many years Negro was considered appropriate language in American speak. Colored or Negro were the acceptable terms; black was unacceptable and so was African. Nigger was always around even in the Panama Canal Zone thanks to the USA citizens that managed the area. It was always dirisive, denigrating and discrimantory. It connotated racism to the highest degree; and, yes, even more than chombo, niche, prieto, congo, etal. Black then African became the mantra in nomenclature but even that after time began to sound like Negro or colored. Angry black men making music without orchestras or bands spoke the word used mostly as self-depracation to mean 'you ain't no better than me, you still black and to white folks you still a nigger'. Even in this context the meaning is a demeaning one, and of course every culture and race has similar terms of denigration and self depracation.
But this word in particular still denotes people descendant of slavery that was the most repressive in the American continent. It may have been because of the climate and fauna which allowed slaves brought from Africa to slip into the hills and jungles and free themselves from slavery in the tropical countries. They could still drum in candombles, cabildos and restructure their speech and languages; inclusive their religious practices which today people enjoy as salsa dancing. In some places, like Panama, the runaway slaves like Bayano became a source of national pride in spite of or maybe because he savagely butchered the white Spaniards to the point they had to sign a treaty. He won then and so did black people in other places like Ecuador, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti who enjoyed such victories. So even if someone tried to devastate your ego with a denigrating term, you could take pride in it that they could not.
The southern USA had slavery as its economic backbone for agriculture. If a black person so much as dreamed of escaping lynching was the cure. Nigger comes from this source. When a white person says it, I remember the first photo of a lynching I saw. I happened upon it by accident and it still horrifies me to this day. I am not ready for nigger to be common place in daily speech. It still swims in my head for either self-ridicule or self commentary at someone. I restrict it to only close black acquaintances and then mostly as a parody or paraphrase. I listen to rap music and accept it there, but not in pop music or general speak. I can accept another black person, who is a stranger, even using the term 'brother' in anger towards me, but saying nigger means we are going to fight physically or spar verbally.
A perfect example in music of why nigger still connotes hate and racism: Will Smith and other rappers do not use the term, and they have only limited succes musically (Will Smith of course figured this out early enough to switch to filmwhere is undeniably a huge success). Well, considering that without white people buying rap music the industry would not have the success it is enjoying today, it could considered corollary this is what white perceive about blacks as much as they perceived the black face performances of a hundred years ago when even black performers had to wear black face to perform. This is a challenge for rap artists, but then norms change and accommodations are made that make an insult become a praise. Making a change simply for correctness never accomplishes much except ignore the source of the problem.
I believe the word is unnecessary. It still binds to slavery the contemporary existence of blacks. It still allows people who hate blacks to be comfortable in their hate. It keeps a stereotype alive to the point a continent is ignored getting the least capital even though it has most resources. The rapper Trick Daddy feature on the Urban Mystic's recent cd delivered, "slavery is no longer an excuse" when referring to the change blacks must make to advance. If Richard Pryor, who had a similar epiphany a generation before when travelling to Africa, could stop using this term (and he made a lot of money on the term) then the rest of us certainly can start today. Because when it becomes common place, slavery and lynching will be forgotten but the engendered poverty it created will remain.
I am black. At first, I was angry learning that this singer had usurped not only a term but a musical form sang mostly by blacks until recently. Then I realized how difficult it would be to redefine the concept to places where the type of discrimination that exists in the USA produces a poverty that by another country's standard would be considered middle-class. I realized he was calling himself what he was doing musically, and what musicians have done since the ability transmit African rhythms worldwide whether it is bembé, soca, reggae, jazz, rap, etal. Over time the music is denuded, stripped of unintelligible Africanism it reformulated under such names as 'smooth jazz', or 'salsa' that help in diffusion.
Color and suffering are not so easily dilutable. Black worldwide whether in Panama or Japan still denotes poverty, violence and starvation; with, of course a few exceptions, of those who have managed to overcome their visual presentation and transcend even the most racist mind. I watch films from all over the world and black characters still reflect the worst of society. This is particularly egregious in films from Latin American countries that pretend not to have large populations such as Uruguay or Colombia. Brazil is an exception since blacks make up a majority of the population. All these places have their own deragotary terms for their black populations, niche in Colombia, chombo in Panama, prieto in most of Caribbean, while in other places such as Nicaragua the large black populations are so isolated they are ignored.
I am also from Panama, like Nigga; but unlike Nigga, suffered under the term chombo. The implications are the same as nigger but not worse. The etymology of the word chombo stems from prisoners used mostly as slave labor who had their sun charcoaled arms (chombos) exposed. Many of these workers were from the West Indies. It was used derisively to discrimate. It was used against me. It still angers me when a non-black person uses it, but because of the popularity of blended Jamaican and Panamanian music called reggaeton, it is now a term of endearment if not exaultation. There is an artist called El Chombo, and he is mixed, and would be considered black in the USA. In Panama, could be a chombo, but never denigrated for it like many other people. The distinction between there and here is people mix and move on.
Nigger is a purposeful white mispronunciation of the Spanish word negro, and for many years Negro was considered appropriate language in American speak. Colored or Negro were the acceptable terms; black was unacceptable and so was African. Nigger was always around even in the Panama Canal Zone thanks to the USA citizens that managed the area. It was always dirisive, denigrating and discrimantory. It connotated racism to the highest degree; and, yes, even more than chombo, niche, prieto, congo, etal. Black then African became the mantra in nomenclature but even that after time began to sound like Negro or colored. Angry black men making music without orchestras or bands spoke the word used mostly as self-depracation to mean 'you ain't no better than me, you still black and to white folks you still a nigger'. Even in this context the meaning is a demeaning one, and of course every culture and race has similar terms of denigration and self depracation.
But this word in particular still denotes people descendant of slavery that was the most repressive in the American continent. It may have been because of the climate and fauna which allowed slaves brought from Africa to slip into the hills and jungles and free themselves from slavery in the tropical countries. They could still drum in candombles, cabildos and restructure their speech and languages; inclusive their religious practices which today people enjoy as salsa dancing. In some places, like Panama, the runaway slaves like Bayano became a source of national pride in spite of or maybe because he savagely butchered the white Spaniards to the point they had to sign a treaty. He won then and so did black people in other places like Ecuador, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti who enjoyed such victories. So even if someone tried to devastate your ego with a denigrating term, you could take pride in it that they could not.
The southern USA had slavery as its economic backbone for agriculture. If a black person so much as dreamed of escaping lynching was the cure. Nigger comes from this source. When a white person says it, I remember the first photo of a lynching I saw. I happened upon it by accident and it still horrifies me to this day. I am not ready for nigger to be common place in daily speech. It still swims in my head for either self-ridicule or self commentary at someone. I restrict it to only close black acquaintances and then mostly as a parody or paraphrase. I listen to rap music and accept it there, but not in pop music or general speak. I can accept another black person, who is a stranger, even using the term 'brother' in anger towards me, but saying nigger means we are going to fight physically or spar verbally.
A perfect example in music of why nigger still connotes hate and racism: Will Smith and other rappers do not use the term, and they have only limited succes musically (Will Smith of course figured this out early enough to switch to filmwhere is undeniably a huge success). Well, considering that without white people buying rap music the industry would not have the success it is enjoying today, it could considered corollary this is what white perceive about blacks as much as they perceived the black face performances of a hundred years ago when even black performers had to wear black face to perform. This is a challenge for rap artists, but then norms change and accommodations are made that make an insult become a praise. Making a change simply for correctness never accomplishes much except ignore the source of the problem.
I believe the word is unnecessary. It still binds to slavery the contemporary existence of blacks. It still allows people who hate blacks to be comfortable in their hate. It keeps a stereotype alive to the point a continent is ignored getting the least capital even though it has most resources. The rapper Trick Daddy feature on the Urban Mystic's recent cd delivered, "slavery is no longer an excuse" when referring to the change blacks must make to advance. If Richard Pryor, who had a similar epiphany a generation before when travelling to Africa, could stop using this term (and he made a lot of money on the term) then the rest of us certainly can start today. Because when it becomes common place, slavery and lynching will be forgotten but the engendered poverty it created will remain.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Ending Modern African American Slavery
Canada and Europe May Offer Answers
I am opposed to big time college sports, specifically basketball and football which make millions for not only for the schools but for the companies who advertise during the televising of the games. I am opposed because the athletes playing these sports, especially those most viewer tune in to admire, are black and get paid nothing. They get room and board and a chance to attend college; neither of which guarantees the type of return the schools and merchandisers get from the viewers.
I have blogged about this and written about then argued ad nauseum to friends and relatives for the past 30 years against this form of modern slavery. The problem is the supply of athletes willing to sacrifice for nothing is inexhaustible. Both professional basketball and football force black athletes to attend college before even being considered getting paid to play. Consider in basketball this follows a color if not cultural national line: athletes from Europe can play in the NBA with no age restriction or college attendance. Most native Europeans are still white despite the efforts of the French. Well, therein lies a possible solution to pressure to National Football League and National Basketball Association modify their rules back to capitalism based on performance not forced indentured servitude.
What if the parents of teenagers with the talents similar to (or better than) Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett decided to take their children to Europe for their high school years and play in the European leagues for pay, which pay far more than D League salaries, during the school year and come back in the summer to work out for pay in a summer league. Of course, if the NBA made a rule against this, the obvious plantation mentally of the owners and league would reveal itself. By draft time and meeting age rules based on where the player played not their country of origin they would have earned dollars for themselves not their overseers. The loss of talent would force the hand of merchandisers here and entrepreneurs who recognize a good deal and bring them back to the USA shores within 10 years; and establish a bidding war with the European leagues. Russia is now more attractive for NHL and WNBA players for the same reason.
Unfortunately, American football or modified rugby is not played very well in Europe and is nowhere close to being popular at the high school level. Enter Canada, the land that gave rise to the professional black quarterback. The NFL does have a clause backed by a Supreme Court decision requiring a player to play for free in college before being paid to play in the NFL. There was time also that the Supreme Court with its Dred Scott decision gave the same support to legal slavery in the South. What if the CFL, recruited players directly to their league before going to an American college or university? What if they paid the players while providing an education at collegiate level? Again once the talent pool is depleted of stellar freshmen and sophomores, the economics would force a change in rules.
Another Canadian innovation could be a basketball C-League for those parents who do not want to adjust to European cuisine and customs. ( Most blacks because of the racially imbalance in military service are well aware of these customs and cuisine especially of the German super republic). Again it is just leveling the capitalistic playing field to eliminate the disparity free labor creates as it did in the 19th century and spurred a civil war. I doubt a civil war would ensue because of this, but some would argue if this young talent went elsewhere for development they would lose their 'American' edge in these sports. However, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs proved a team does not need American talent to field a winning team. Consider also an American team has not won it all internationally in a few years.
A sidebar to this, is many complain the NBA and NFL players are talented but not fully skilled because many leave college as soon as they are eligible to be paid. Professional sub-leagues, like that of baseball, would help with the chasm between talent and skill. But there is the D-League and semi-pro football that pay players in development so they can achieve NBA or NFL level skills some would say. Unfortunately, these leagues lack marketability within the USA, unlike Europe or Canada where the talent would be handsomely paid.
During this pause post NBA season and draft and pre football season and draft, something to consider if your child is super talented. Football could run four agonizing years to avoid injury that would limit dollars if not end a career without any pay. Basketball is less forgiving with most stars having only to do a year of service and be of age. In either case, unless your child is among the top 20 to be drafted, he or she is just another Mandingo scrapping and scrapping for the left over dollars he or she could have earned overseas.
I am opposed to big time college sports, specifically basketball and football which make millions for not only for the schools but for the companies who advertise during the televising of the games. I am opposed because the athletes playing these sports, especially those most viewer tune in to admire, are black and get paid nothing. They get room and board and a chance to attend college; neither of which guarantees the type of return the schools and merchandisers get from the viewers.
I have blogged about this and written about then argued ad nauseum to friends and relatives for the past 30 years against this form of modern slavery. The problem is the supply of athletes willing to sacrifice for nothing is inexhaustible. Both professional basketball and football force black athletes to attend college before even being considered getting paid to play. Consider in basketball this follows a color if not cultural national line: athletes from Europe can play in the NBA with no age restriction or college attendance. Most native Europeans are still white despite the efforts of the French. Well, therein lies a possible solution to pressure to National Football League and National Basketball Association modify their rules back to capitalism based on performance not forced indentured servitude.
What if the parents of teenagers with the talents similar to (or better than) Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett decided to take their children to Europe for their high school years and play in the European leagues for pay, which pay far more than D League salaries, during the school year and come back in the summer to work out for pay in a summer league. Of course, if the NBA made a rule against this, the obvious plantation mentally of the owners and league would reveal itself. By draft time and meeting age rules based on where the player played not their country of origin they would have earned dollars for themselves not their overseers. The loss of talent would force the hand of merchandisers here and entrepreneurs who recognize a good deal and bring them back to the USA shores within 10 years; and establish a bidding war with the European leagues. Russia is now more attractive for NHL and WNBA players for the same reason.
Unfortunately, American football or modified rugby is not played very well in Europe and is nowhere close to being popular at the high school level. Enter Canada, the land that gave rise to the professional black quarterback. The NFL does have a clause backed by a Supreme Court decision requiring a player to play for free in college before being paid to play in the NFL. There was time also that the Supreme Court with its Dred Scott decision gave the same support to legal slavery in the South. What if the CFL, recruited players directly to their league before going to an American college or university? What if they paid the players while providing an education at collegiate level? Again once the talent pool is depleted of stellar freshmen and sophomores, the economics would force a change in rules.
Another Canadian innovation could be a basketball C-League for those parents who do not want to adjust to European cuisine and customs. ( Most blacks because of the racially imbalance in military service are well aware of these customs and cuisine especially of the German super republic). Again it is just leveling the capitalistic playing field to eliminate the disparity free labor creates as it did in the 19th century and spurred a civil war. I doubt a civil war would ensue because of this, but some would argue if this young talent went elsewhere for development they would lose their 'American' edge in these sports. However, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs proved a team does not need American talent to field a winning team. Consider also an American team has not won it all internationally in a few years.
A sidebar to this, is many complain the NBA and NFL players are talented but not fully skilled because many leave college as soon as they are eligible to be paid. Professional sub-leagues, like that of baseball, would help with the chasm between talent and skill. But there is the D-League and semi-pro football that pay players in development so they can achieve NBA or NFL level skills some would say. Unfortunately, these leagues lack marketability within the USA, unlike Europe or Canada where the talent would be handsomely paid.
During this pause post NBA season and draft and pre football season and draft, something to consider if your child is super talented. Football could run four agonizing years to avoid injury that would limit dollars if not end a career without any pay. Basketball is less forgiving with most stars having only to do a year of service and be of age. In either case, unless your child is among the top 20 to be drafted, he or she is just another Mandingo scrapping and scrapping for the left over dollars he or she could have earned overseas.
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