Blought #23: What I Learned About Natural Hair

What does your hair mean to you? Is it a bunch of naps and tangles of frizz that you put up with? Or is it something that you enjoy maintaining and keeping up? There was a point in time where I got a haircut every two weeks to make sure my waves kept spinning. But it was just hair. Nothing more, and nothing less in my eyes.

A few weeks ago I was invited to a Natural Hair Forum at the Warrensville Heights branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. The event was hosted by J’ Twasha Kelley, organizer and founder of the Nappi Gyrls Hair Forum. She opened the event by sharing her personal journey to becoming natural. Going natural made her feel "liberated". "I was able to accept who I am" she said. "It was when life first started for me."

Cleveland area Zumba instructor and owner of Fitthickbreee, Brittany Jenkins encouraged the women to drink plenty of water and to start thinking about adopting a healthy diet. She discussed the importance of taking care of your body which will in turn benefit your hair’s health.


"How many of you are worried about sweating out your hair while at the gym" she asked as most of the women raised their hands. Brittany's advice was to wear protective styles like box braids. The absence of having chemicals in your hair makes upkeep easier while living an active and healthy lifestyle.

It was interesting to hear these women share their tips and stories about having natural hair. After Brittany finished her presentation local hairstylist Donnella Jefferson took to the podium for her Q&A session. Many of the women asked questions about styles, techniques and their hair category which I never knew existed. There really are categories for women's hair types and textures.

Donnella and J’Twasha both used the words "liberated" and "individuality" when describing what it meant to be natural. The natural movement however isn’t anything new. Singer James Brown is one of the earliest cases of “going natural” that I personally know of. In the 50’s and 60’s Blacks wore the conk which was a perm that men wore styled forwards.

Angela Davis rockin' her Revolutionary fro

By the 70’s natural hair was the normal thing to do. The Afro meant “I’m Black and I’m proud” and it was quite stylish. In the 80’s the jherri curl was the hottest trend and perms and relaxers became the norm again. By the 90’s dreads, cornrows and other natural hairstyles became prominent hair styles for people of color.

When asked, Donnella said she thinks that today’s natural hair movement could be another fad. She also believes wearing natural hair could become permanent "if we teach our children to love and embrace their hair and how it comes out of their heads."

Natural hair seems to have become the new norm among black women. I personally see it as a way of life. After learning about the harm a relaxer or perm could do to one’s hair, it seemed like almost overnight black women ditched their perms for braids, twist outs and short hair cuts. Many of the women, most of them my mother’s age if not older all said they noticed a trickle down effect from their hair down to their overall health. From the foods they ate, to the types of soap they used for hygienic purposes based on what our African ancestors used.

Courtesy: Liberator Magazine

I asked Donnella if she thought of today’s natural hair movement as a new civil rights movement. She replied no and offered an explanation. Civil Rights was about gaining rights for an oppressed people. This is about black self-love and knowledge of self and spirituality. Our culture from Africa was stripped from us when we were gathered on a boat. Ask a white guy about his heritage. He’s German on his dad’s side and Irish on his mom’s side. Ask me the same question. My dad’s family is from Alabama and Georgia and my mom’s family is from Arkansas.

We have no past identity. My generation has just begun to explore our history as a whole. Natural hair can be a gateway for us to learn more about black history from "over there." We can never know where we are headed if we don’t know where we come from. Having black hair can unlock so much about us. The question then becomes, "what do these naps, kinks and coils really mean to us?"

Brendan Whitt's 15 best Rapper-Actors

What separates a regular rapper from all other rappers? Film and television credits. As we get wrapped up in the personas of these rappers (e.g. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Diddy etc.) we have to remember that these guys and girls are entertainers. Look at the legends like Sammy Davis Jr. Dude sang, acted on screen and stage and he could dance. Now that’s an entertainer.

As Hip-Hop broke out onto the national scene as a new cultural movement, rappers began to be approached to star in films a television specials centered around this “new” culture. Some of the best actors of our generation started off as singers or rappers. Here is a list of my favorite rappers turned actors.

First here are my criteria for the list: 1. Must have a rapping credit befor an acting credit, 2. My personal opinion on cultural relevancy, 3. Only T.V., Film, Theater and Video Game credits count, 4. Individual success and critical acclaim.

WARNING: THE PICTURE QUALITY ISN'T THE BEST!

...

Some of you may be thinking “What about Tupac?” While he was an exceptional talent Tupac had a theater credit at the age of 12 in a rendition of A Raisin In the Sun as Travis Younger. Having an acting credit before a music credit disqualifies you from the list. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) and Drake would have also made the list but they both had acting credits before their first musical releases.

Blought #22: National Live Theater Presents 'Hamlet" at The Barbican

The opening Scene of Lyndsey Turner's 'Hamlet'

Theater is a beautiful thing. The stage design, production value, costumes and actors’ performances all coming together to tell a story live and in your face is a true marvel. Especially when it’s the all time great playwright William Shakespeare. I read some Shakespeare in high school including Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet. It wasn’t until last summer when I was able to watch a live performance of Shakespeare. The 13th Summer Season of the Ohio Shakespeare Festival was performing Henry IV part one.

The production was directed by the festival’s artistic director Terry Burgler and starred David McNees as King Henry IV and Andrew Cruse as Henry, Prince of Wales. The production was staged at the Stan Hywet Hall & Graden in Akron, Ohio. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my first Shakespeare experience. After I left I wondered when I would get to see my next live Shakespeare experience.

Last week I was invited to director Lyndsey Turner’s rendition of Hamlet. Hamlet is the story of Prince Hamlet who is grieving over the death of his father, King Hamlet of Denmark. When Hamlet sees his father’s ghost, the ghost tells Hamlet that his own brother and Hamlet's uncle Claudius, killed him so that he could take the thrown and his wife as his own.


The production featured Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character Hamlet. Cirian Hinds probably best known today as Mance Rayder in HBO’s Game of Thrones portrayed Claudius, Hamlet’s Uncle who murdered King Hamlet to take the thrown and to marry Hamlet’s mother Gertrude who was portrayed by seasoned actress Anastasia Hille. Hamlet’s close friend Horatio was played by English actor Leo Bill while the roles of Ophelia and Polonius were filled by Sian Brooke and Jim Norton respectively.

Cirian Hinds as Claudius

Rachel Stewart of The Telegraph called it “the most in demand theater production of all time” via the ticket website Viagogo citing that the show registered 214% more searches for tickets than that of Jay-Z and Beyonce’s On The Run world tour. Tickets for the 12-week run starting back in August of this year sold out in only seven hours a full calendar year before the play even premiered.

The Cedar Lee Theater in Cleveland Heights was packed when I first entered the theater. The play was a production of National Live Theater and was presented by the Barbican Centere in London. Cumberbatch was nothing short of extraordinary and had me overly excited to see him play Dr. Strange in the upcoming Marvel film of the same name. The set design was beautiful with a backdrop of a late 19th century maybe early 20th century style royal palace hall.

In the later scenes dead leaves and mounds of fake debris were blown around to show the depth of grief both Prince Hamlet and Ophelia felt as the story progressed. The grave digger scene used the debris the best while giving the illusion of actually being in a graveyard.

One of the many confusing costumes

The only negative I took away from the production were the costumes. For the most part everyone wore clothing from the Victorian or Edwardian period of England.

Cumberbatch’s uniforms were a bit more modern. The scene where Rosecrantz and Guildenstern help Hamlet organize a short play to out Claudius had Hamlet in a royal overcoat with the word “King” painted on the back. I took a quick glance at his shoes and he had on busted up sneakers. Sorry Katrina Lindsay (the productions costume designer) I wasn’t feeling that. Horatio’s costume was really confusing. It looked like actor Leo Bill showed up late and went on stage with what he wore to the theater, a plaid button up shirt and jeans.

All in all the performance was fair. Cumberbatch’s performance stole the show, so much in fact that no one else’s performance really stood out. Cedar Lee’s sound system gave you the feeling of actually being in the theater while the camera work was just as good. If you love theater or are just a casual fan then I suggest you go catch a National Live Theater production. Cedar Lee will be showing a presentation of Coriolanus November 19th at 7 pm and again on November 22nd at 11 am.

Sites used:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/11025625/Cumberbatchs-Hamlet-most-in-demand-show-of-all-time.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/benedict-cumberbatch-as-hamlet-barbican-review/

http://hamlet-barbican.com/

Blought #21: The Beauty of the 'Surf'

In life some of the things we enjoy the most are the ones that are best aged. We all love trends because they're fun and in this day and age we can quickly share them with others. For me the music that I enjoy most is the music that stays with me for a long period of time. Now I didn't listen to Surf by Donnie Trumpet (Chicago trumpeter Nico Segal) & The Social Experiment right away. Music to me is best enjoyed when all of the hype has died down. When all of the biased critics can subside and the internet fan boys can latch onto the next release.

With Chance the Rapper's name attached to Surf I knew that the Jazz infused Indie\Hip-Hop album would attract a bunch of hype. Once Sunday Candy dropped It still felt like Surf was only Chance‘s project, but it was more than that. Phil Hebblethwaite of NME stated Surf sounds "infectious, light and upbeat, but never inane. It begs you to feel included, and wide-awake", and I completely agree. All of the instruments, arrangements and guest spots reassure you that this was something that everyone involved clearly enjoyed.

Here is my brief track by track analysis of Surf:

1. Miracle - The project’s opening track was very soft and angelic. The strings and keys are very light while Danny Trumpet hangs around in the background with his own tune. Chance appears later in the track with his usual poetic flow. Did the artists see Surf as a miracle that so many minds could come together and contribute to this project?
2. Slip Slide - The drums and trumpet give the feeling of watching a black high school or HBCU band play during half time. Busta Rhymes sounds like a band director preparing Chance and B.O.B. for their verses as they lead their sections around the field.
3. Warm Enough - The song is very laid back with a calm and soothing voice melodically asking “Who are you to say I’m not warm enough in the summertime, I know that I can decide myself…”. This was easily the best paring of artists on the entire project. Chance and Noname Gypsy ALWAYS compliment each other when they appear together. J. Cole, while not poetically doing so, aesthetically offers a deep perspective on love.
4. Nothing Came to Me - The first song with Trumpet appearing on his own, I immediately thought “This sounds like Ornette Coleman.” The beginning is very “ugly” as it smooths it’s self out towards the end. I imagined a sad and lonely trumpet looking for happiness.
5. Wanna Be Cool - This song was very light hearted and “pop-py”. The piano and Jeremih's back vocals for Chance are beautiful. Big Sean’s verse built on his previous work of the year (His highly successful Dark Sky Paradise). The song shuns “cool” and promotes happiness and acceptance of individuality. “I don’t wann be you\I just wanna be me. I don’t wanna be cool\I just wanna be me…”
6. Windows - Don’t like it, I have nothing to say…
7. Caretaker - A very short warm, romantic Neo-Soul melody.
8. Just Wait - Indie style Pop\Hip-Hop track. My personal favorite trumpet arrangement on the entire project. The beat is very high tempo. I got the feeling of an interlude ubtil Chance made his way onto the song. The sound bytes in the background offer a 70’s feel (Play that muthafuckin' horn!"). The message is simple in saying “Wait your turn, great things will come.”
9. Familiar - Wasn’t a good song vocally or lyrically. King Louie was useless and my favorite Migo Quavo, was terribly misplaced. The music was just meh…
10. SmthnthtIwnt (Something That I Want) - Aesthetically pointless and simple lyrics. The trumpet was phenomenal.
11. Go - Very fun and upbeat. Neo-Soul\Pop mix with Jessee Boykin lending vocals. In my opinion he was the best featured singer on the entire project. I loved the background strings as well.
12. Questions - Jamilia Woods melodically asks "why?" with her beautiful Neo-Soul voice before transitioning into a poetic and almost monotone singing voice. The music gives it an Indie-Pop feel. The song is fairly short but offers some of the best mixing and engineering on the project.
13. Something Came To Me - The lonely trumpet from Nothing Came To Me returns and this time he sounds happy. His happieness isn’t immediate but it is sufficient. He appears more versatile and skilled than he was before. I still feel like Ornette Coleman could have been the trumpet.
14. Memory - Chance’s second best poetic styled rap on the album. Typical Chance as usual with deep and insightful stanzas\lyrics. The background vocals sound like an old Outkast song. Towards the end Ms. Erykah Badu asks Chance about his day as he rests his head in her lap. “Young man you’re on your way”.
15. Sunday Candy - This song has plenty of Trumpet with short moments of Afro-Caribbean influenced percussion. This one sounds like an Indie\Hip-Hop ode to Gospel music. Anyone with a loving grandparent can appreciate this song. Chance tells us about his grandmother and how much she loves her family. She pays the blls and gives him his Sunday candy in church.
16. Pass the Vibes - Indie-Pop song about smoking weed and sharing thoughts with a groovy chick. The instrumentation is easy going with a simple drum pattern and some accompanying strings.

If you enjoy eclectic music I'd say expect this project to receive Grammy considerations in the Hip-Hop, Jazz and Urban Contemporary categories.

Sites Used:
http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/34461/donnie-trumpet-the-social-experiment-surf.html

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20664-surf/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/donnie-trumpet-and-the-social-experiment-surf-20150616

http://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/16149

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_(Donnie_Trumpet_%26_The_Social_Experiment_album)

Blought #20: Responsible Ohio's Oligopoly

Yes on Issue #3 votes by county

Like Drake I’ll admit it, I’ll admit it . Young Langston enjoys smoking the herb. When legalization started to happen in various states around the country I was like “Hell Yeah! We have to be next up.” About a year or so later I heard about a proposition called Responsible Ohio. that would legalize weed in my home state. Sadly as more and more of the facts came out I found myself on the fence.

My pros were simple; legal weed, can’t get arrested for any amount under 10 grams and dispensaries which meant dabs and edibles. The con was all alone but it was a big one. A marijuana monopoly.

You can’t argue it. A group of investors who plan to control all of the production and distribution is a monopoly. Let’s look at John D. Rockefeller. Homeboy owned at one point 90% of the oil production in America during the latter part of the 19th century. His company Standard Oil Company had absorbed almost every one of it’s investors. After that he started buying up railroads to make it easier for him to transport his product.

Actually Issue 3 wasn’t a monopoly at all. It was an oligopoly. It’s the same as a monopoly but the wealth is distributed between a small number of people versus just one person. Experts say this was Responsible Ohio’s intent from the start.

A few other arguments citing race and class made their ways onto my social media feeds. I won’t refute them but I don’t support them either. Business and political insiders around the country realize the failing of Issue 3 had nothing to do with the idea of legalization but rather how we should legalize it. Not allowing a free market was for sure going to kill the bill. Not to mention if Issue 2 passed (which it did) Issue 3 would have been essentially killed had it been voted yes anyway.

Now the lobbyist group is threatening legal action. I don’t know what that would do since Issue 2 is on it’s way to becoming a law. It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out over the next year. Will the lobbyists win in court, will we get legal weed how we want it or will we see a backroom deal happen behind our backs?

Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/04/6-reasons-ohio-marijuana-legalization-failed/

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2015/11/how_the_marijuana_vote_lost_ev.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-legalization-initiative-fails-in-ohio-2015-11

Blought #19: Is Cultural Appropriation a Real Problem?

Is denying a white person the freedom to embrace cultures outside of their own racists or justifiable?

This is probably as best a time to be African American as it’s ever been. The nation’s first black president is finishing up his second term, our music continues to dominate the airways and American pop culture and racists attitudes and remarks are finally becoming taboo in our society. As a black male in my early 20’s it’s great to know that I live in a country that is becoming more socially liberal and accepting of all types of cultures.

I do however find it counterproductive to our own cause as a race and culture to blast anything not black that would like to take part in our culture. I know cultural appropriation exists but is it always negative when a white girl wants to wear cornrows? How can hair braiding be cultural appropriation when cultures in Europe and Asia had their own braiding styles that most black hair textures can‘t achieve. The modern cornrow wasn’t worn until c. 1970. I know this question is becoming old but are you black women not appropriating white culture when you dye your hair blonde?

Would you shun an  African American who dressed and behaved like this?

You can’t say them wearing our fashion is cultural appropriation. The Hip-Hop era took white owned brands like Adidas, Nike, Levi and Kangol and made them a part of our culture. Adidas was founded in Germany and even made boots for German soldiers during WWII. Nike was created by Phil Knight from Oregon in the 1970’s for track and field athletes. Levi’s was invented by German immigrant Levi Strauss during the California Gold Rush in the mid 1800’s and Kangol was created by a Polish dude in the late 1930’s.

So I guess you’ll say the music is being appropriated by Macklemore and Iggy Azalea. I call complete bullshit. One of Hip-Hop’s most revered pioneers are the Beastie Boys. Three white Jewish kids from Brooklyn who loved listening to the Funk music of the 70’s like Parliament Funkadelic and Bootsy Collins. They were essentially the first rap group by today’s standards. Who says a white kid can’t enjoy Hip-Hop as much as a black kid? It’s hard to call anything music wise cultural appropriation when it was whites, mostly Jewish who are responsible for putting Hip-Hop in the mainstream. It’s like slavery and abolitionists. Without white abolitionists there would have been no abolishment of slavery. In theory, without rich Jewish Investors there would be no Hip-Hop.

Not even the same hairstyle bro...

I can understand the cause for alarm. The line between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation is a very thin one. Writer and Illustrator Mojuicy from Queens, New York explored the difference in his 2014 piece titled “Appropriation vs. Appreciation”. He described Lady Gaga’s wearing of a Burqa as a “sexual” and non-Political play that “position Middle Eastern cultures as a second class, exotic cultures worth dominating.” I’m not Arab so I won’t speak on his sentiments, but I can speak on mine.

I believe the idea of our claims of Cultural Appropriation comes from the belief that African Americans have nothing else to offer besides our music and fashion. To me that speaks poorly of us as a race and culture. We place emphasis on things that don’t reflect positively on us as a race. I will be the first to admit that I sag my pants, listen to vulgar rap music and I curse more than the congregation shouts “Amen” on Sunday.

Some argue that Appropriation is an extension of Slavery. I’d like to refute that by saying it could be an extension of Jim Crow. In my eyes we, meaning African Americans are keeping Jim Crow alive ourselves. The idea of hatred fueled racism. That same hatred has trickled down into the black psyche causing us to hate the white man in turn making our main objective to reject the white man in the same manner he has done us for centuries.

To me Cultural Appropriation is another device for us to pigeonhole our objectives and movements as a race. If we can move on from what we shun other cultures in appreciating, then we can spend more time on fixing real problems facing our community versus focusing on ones that offer no threat to our culture or race.

Sources:
http://interruptmag.com/article/appropriation-vs-appreciation

http://www.lovelyish.com/2013/04/15/the-beautiful-and-amazing-history-of-braids/

http://www.feminish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/culturalappropriationread.pdf

The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Van Woodward

Authentic Issue - F*ck All That, Just Rap!

Cleveland rapper Authentic Issue released his latest project F*ck All That, Just Rap! on Audiomack last night. Click the link below to stream and download.

Authentic Issue - F*ck All That, Just Rap! - Download and Stream | Audiomack

My Favorite Halloween Costumes of Social Media

Fall is finally in full swing following Halloween. Up next is Turkey Day and the Holiday shopping season as we all prepare to get drunk and ring in a 2016. But before we move into the back 9 of 2015, let’s take a look at my favorite costumes of social media this year.

Me and the girlfriend as Shaggy and Velma

Me and this Z-Fighter can spar whenever.

Drake and Serena Williams

Kelly Rowland and my stepson as Mickey and Minnie

I hate her... Call

Chuckee Finster lookin' like he's not down with Tommy's plan

A friend of mine and his lady as Bob and Linda Belcher

Dr. Dre's Classic The Chronic album

Cleveland artist and designer Dakarai Ashby as rapper MF Doom

Aladin and his flying carpet

Loc Dog from Don't be a Menace

Kevin Hart and his Fiance as Martin and Gina Payne

Biggie's legendary Ready to Die album cover

Future's hit summer album Dirty Sprite 2

Future's infamous Gucci flip flop that he fu***d your girl in.

The Fat Jew's Instagram

A mommy and her partner in crime

A Refreshing Sound for Cleveland Hip-Hop

Cleveland rapper Authentic Issue is set to release his new mixtape titled “Fuck All That, Just Rap!”. He passed me two of the songs off of the upcoming project and I must say I was impressed. The Intro is a sobering reality of what Cleveland is going through during this time of transition. The public housing area known as Longwood or Down the Way, the area Authentic Issue calls home has gone through some drastic change over the past few years.

The sound bytes at the end of the intro explains the general process of gentrification, something that Clevelanders are becoming quite aware of. At the end of the song there is a disagreement between a younger voice and an older voice where the younger voice believes there should be a community effort to keep the neighborhood “black” and black owned in an attempt to resist the assumed gentrification of a predominantly black neighborhood. The older voice blames the culture of drug dealing and black on black crime for devaluing the property of the black neighborhood.

The second track titled Real Shit uses a sample of the late Barry White’s Cant Get Enough of Your Love Baby, and while it doesn’t have an apparent message like the Intro did it’s still a fun song to listen to. Issue plays around on the track with simple but lyrical punch lines and even shares a moment of laughter with a playful “do-do-do” chant.

Fuck All That Just Rap looks to be a different type of rap than what is usually promoted around the city. You can follow Authentic Issue on Twitter and Instagram @Ant_Ant91. Fuck All That, Just Rap! releases Halloween on Datpiff and Hot New Hip-Hop.

Cavs Offer Relief for Browns Fans by Giovanni Castelli

The Browns are once again stinking up the joint with a 2-5 record, a 36-year old journeyman starting at the most important position in the NFL while continuing to be a perennial loser since their return in 1999. Lucky for us, the Cavs‬ are back which for Cleveland sports fans is a good thing. They are a really good team, boast the best player in the world and are once again favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

Let's just say the end of October each year has come to signify the end of Browns season and the beginning of Cavs season due to the Browns constant futility on and off the field. Today when asked about the QB situation I heard Mike Pettine say: "If you don't laugh you cry." Really?! I say that when something utterly BLOWS!! Which in my mind means Pettine knows his QB's BLOW!!

I just heard Tony Grossi say "It's not that difficult to get a QB!" As if he was yelling at the front office. What a joke the Browns are right now. New uniforms, a stadium makeover, a couple new mascots and a dog named SWAGGER (this team has no swagger!) can't cover up the DOG POOP product that has been put on the field since 1999.

Thank God LeBron came back. With the Cavs being the favorites in the NBA, the Browns can now go about their business sucking through another losing season and missing another opportunity to not LOSE a generation of fans. And they wonder why we go to the Muni-Lot at 6am to drink. That's the only time we have fun on Sundays. It seems that every time we leave the stadium we do so mad and disappointed due to another Browns loss.

On that note, see you Sunday Browns. You mean, abusive douche.

But more importantly. GO CAVS!!!