George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People

So, how long did you think it would take before the rap video got made?

Click here for music video. Contains Adult Language.

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Legendary K.O. delivers powerful message against George W. Bush Through Song “George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People” Receives Widespread Acclaim

As the world has seen and heard by now, rapper Kanye West expressed his frustration at the Katrina relief efforts and his thoughts on U.S. President George W. Bush last week during a nationally televised benefit. While his thoughts and statement have received much attention, a rap group from Houston, The Legendary K.O., has taken it one step further and recorded a song, entitled “George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People”, using the Kanye West “Gold Digger” instrumental.

The song, available for free download through www.k-otix.com , received over 10,000 downloads in the first day alone, with listeners ranging from the U.S. to Europe and Japan.

Legendary K.O. member Micah lives minutes away from the Astrodome, where many Katrina victims are being housed, came up with the song concept immediately after hearing Kanye West's remarks.

“I had really wanted to write about this in the first-person, as someone stuck in New Orleans and left by this administration to basically fend for myself, but was having trouble putting the emotions I felt into words. When I heard Kanye during the benefit, the rest as they say was history,” said Micah.

Comments

[!]

Disgusting !!!

I like black people. But..not the kind that stir up crap like this. No use for them at all. They are the ones that always want strife ! They do not care about their own or they would not constantly feed them this type of garbage !

How shameful !!

[festicles]

I would be curious to know how much Kanye West cares about black people. He is famous, wealthy, and in a position of power and influence within the black community. I wonder what % of his time and income he plows back into the black community. I also wonder how much effort he puts into setting a positive role model for black youth (i.e., value of education, just say no to drugs, youth athletics and activities, opportunities for minority youth in the arts, etc.) Maybe he does a LOT of work there. I would hope so, otherwise his comment about President Bush would seem somewhat hypocritical.

[Deb]

That is just crazy nonsense, He is going to make money off of that song! That song needs to be boycotted! I like black peaple and white peaple but not peaple who take advantage of the system and want something for nothing. The blacks and whites in NO where poor before this storm they are living better now then they where before the storm. This storm was a tradegy and Bush and everyone one else is doing the best they can.

[TheAlamo]

Sometimes freedom os speech sucks. When it isn't what we want to hear.
This guy is WHACKED mentally. Even IF Bush didn't like blacks, it would be political suicide to make it public.

Next, the idiot claims to be an American? If so, then he should know that the president is a non-entity in events such as this, and the progression of power is from the local and state governments FIRST and the feds only in a supporting role at the request of the governor of the state.

The actual power balance begins with Nagin. Guess he doesn't like black people either?

10,000 downloads WILL accomplish something though. MORE division, group mentalities and hatred. Too bad those 10,000 don't know how they are being used. They are puppets. Divide and conquer. Always works.

[Helen]

How very sad, someone like him is doing nothing, but stirring up his type of people only! There are many, many wonderful black people in this world, who will be marked "as one of his", that probably can't stand the man. Doing it just for publicity. These types will get their reward sooner or later!

[Iowa Dude]

This is the stupidest goddamn thing I've heard yet about the situation in N.O. I'm no huge George W. fan, but I'm getting sick about hearing about the down trodden black people. Fuck you all, get a life.

[hopingforthebest]

I find it insane for those people think anyone owes them anything.I live in hurricaine prone area. if I lose my house it is my own fault and I won't be demanding the black people in NO to buy me a new one.

[SL]

George Bush doesn't care about white people.

MAYBE Georpe "P" Bush cares about Hispanics.

rofl

SL

[Mr. Snitch!]

At least part of the problem here stems from the fact that it is much easier to put out a marketable (i.e., people will purchase it or related items, there is a market for the concept) video of this type than a video that would expose this for what it is (opportunism). It has entertainment value, people want to be entertained. It also has an egositic component - those accepting the message are 'bravely standing up to Bush' while anyone opposing it have 'sold out'. The fact is that the administration won't send stormstroopers door-to-door to lock up anyone listening to this, so the heroism in owning a copy is nil. As far as selling out, it's the maker of the video who's doing the marketing and selling, not those opposing its message.

Beyond that, this video perpetuates an unfortunate message: "Someone owes us. Someone must come in and save us." Hey, we all need help sometiimes. But sometimes that help just does not show up when we most need it. Where's the video touting self-reliance? You won't find one - no market in it.

[michelle]

Mr. West has the right to say whatever he wishes (it is his right as an American) but so am I, so here goes:

The accusation that Bush doesn't like Black people is COMPLETELY ABSURD! Bush has more African-American members of his staff than any president in American history. I am convinced they are there, not because they are Black, but because they are the best individuals for those specific positions. Bush has great respect for American people of all races. He was governor of my state and believe me, we pay attention to matters of race here... Bush is a good guy!

[festicles]

Michelle,

Good point. I guess someone should warn Condi Rice, and should have gotten to Colin Powell.

I'm no Bush fan, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that he seems pretty color blind.

[coconuttree]

Good point. I guess someone should warn Condi Rice, and should have gotten to Colin Powell.

I'm no Bush fan, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that he seems pretty color blind.

by festicles

I don't think so, Bush made Colin Powell the laughing stock of the world, because he was becoming to important. They fed him the wrong Irak information to destroy his credibility. slam dunk.

[okoj]

Bush likes blacks. Just like Strom Thurmond.

[festicles]

Okoj:

Ouch, that was wicked.....

Plus you made Coca-Cola come out of my nose, which stung a little bit.

[tuyvnsurvivor]

In trying times I often feel the ones claiming to speek for black people do them the most harm. Gets old, makes the news boring, exposes how little good -- massive past efforts have done. Not enough Bill Cosby's amoung average people.

[lilady]

George Bush doesnt like the invironment. America is the biggest poluter in the world and does the least to solve it.
Nature is getting screwed up. PLEASE AMERICA please give some more effort because the world is dying.

[StussyD]

I find it insane for those people think anyone owes them anything.I live in hurricaine prone area. if I lose my house it is my own fault and I won't be demanding the black people in NO to buy me a new one.
-----
The people of New Orleans, or any disaster prone environment, rely on the government, local, state and federal to protect them to the best of its abilities against what happened in New Orleans. Obviously the blame does not lie exclusively on the Federal government, but it has been shown that there are NUMEROUS clauses of the National Response Plan that were not followed, for which many lives have been paid: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/225729/7487
The residents of New Orleans pay taxes as part of a trust agreement with the government for protection. If you're well enough off to not have to rely on your government, all the better for you. But it is not these people's fault that they were born into poverty

[StussyD]

Beyond that, this video perpetuates an unfortunate message: "Someone owes us. Someone must come in and save us." Hey, we all need help sometiimes. But sometimes that help just does not show up when we most need it. Where's the video touting self-reliance? You won't find one - no market in it.
----
While I'm sure that George W is not as racist as he has been portrayed, it is rediculous to believe that our society is free of racism, only 50 years after "separate but equal."
Although its not always people's fault that they have been ingrained to be racist, that black people deserve lowered expectations, that people like you are more valuable than people different than you, its an inherent trait in people and society. If you can not admit that you and everyone else in the world applies their own brand of racism, sexism, misogynism, and every other sort of prejudice, you truly need to reexamine yourself.
And Snitch, have you ever heard of gangster rap? The genre consistently hammers through listeners' minds that the only person you can trust is yourself, and that it is acceptable to go to extreme measures, i.e. violent crimes, to maintain your self-reliance. And while I personally don't believee that gangster rap is a very effective way to preach self-reliance, it is downright disrespectful to dismiss an entire audience, in your case, the hip-hop market, particularly the irresponsible, good-for-nothing, helpless black market, with a certain set of values.

[festicles]

Posted by: coconuttree | Sep 17, 2005 7:30:42 PM

I don't think that had anything to do with Powell's race. I think he lost a power struggle to Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Rove. And I think that was an ideology-based struggle not a racial one. Powell always followed the principle of using ground troops only as a last resort, and only when you could win by creating overwhelming force. Rumsfeld wanted to stick it to the "old guard" in the military that disagreed with his "smaller, leaner army" vision. Rove and Cheney had the macabre vision that we could go into Iraq and win in a few weeks and the Iraquis would great our troops like the French greated us when we helped liberate Paris in WWII. And Bush, well he had been on record as wanting to take out Saddam at some point.....daddy's unfinished business? who knows?

But I think race was a non-issue. I think Powell was just on the wrong side of the issue.

[splashtc]

He'll sell about 10 of them. Farakhan, Jesse, Sharpton....When is Chris Rock coming out with his version. Bush don't care about Midgets in the hood.

[!]

Rapper Kanye West doesn't care about white people. !!
We need to get a rapper to pick up on that !

[DeeDee]

Ok, let me get this straight? 150 yrs since the civil war was fought over 50 yrs since segregation into public schools. Entitlement programs and minority preferences toward free education for 40 yrs which would mean than none of the people who are pulling the race card have been without opportunity. Those who were discriminated against would be on social security by now, not likely the rappin posse who have a "freeloader mentality". But this generation of uneducated poor blacks who are left as governmental responsibility is because of Bush? Is that what you want me to believe?

[StussyD]

DeeDee,
By no means am I blaming Bush for a generation of anything. I'm saying that is Bush's job, and also the job of all of the Federal, state and local governments, to take care of his people, even if they are not his voting constituency.
And it has NOT been over 50 years since integration into public schools. Brown v. Board of Education was ruled in '54. I can't find any numbers offhand, but we all know that in many areas, schools weren't inegrated to a deecnt degree for years. And a court ruling does not suddenly reverse a nation's opinion. (In 1883, the Supreme Court ruled that the tomato was a vegetable.)
But let's say, for example, there's a boy born in July of 1946, in an area that has been known to foster racism. At the time of Brown v. Board of Education, the boy is 8 years old, still very impressionable. Throughout half of his elementary schooling, many schools are segregated. In 1959, when schools in Little Rock, Arkansas had finally started to become integrated, our boy is 13. He is entering high school at a time when many minorities are still CULTURALLY disallowed from doing such at the same level. I think it can be said that it is very different for a person of his age, if he is exposed to racism at a young age or raised with it, to overcome the philosophy he has carried as a child. And while I'm not saying that George Bush is a segregationist or a klan member, I'm saying that it is very, very, likely that he has a tendency to rely on inaccurate prejudices. We all do.
Racism is mainly a product of stereotypes and generalizations and images. If the only time you see black people is in rap videos, you will think that black people are always drunk, high, murders, gang members, and either very poor or very rich. Almost everyone in the country has been exposed to PLENTY of these images, and not just in rap videos, but on the news, in real life, and by word of mouth.
My point on racism is that there is almost all white people unconsciously value the lives of white people, i.e., people like them, over the lives of people of different races. I'm sure that this is true for every racial group on the planet, and every cultural, national or social group. This is the same reason that dead Americans get so much more coverage than dead Iraqis. Why so few people know about the famine in Africa, including myself. Why people hate to hear about people in their neighborhood getting shot, and why people like to hear about people from their hometown becoming successful politicians, musicians and athletes. People even take pride in others because they share the same birthday or star sign.
Let's put it this way: If the American government was primarily black, it is very likely that the situation in New Orleans would be being handled with greater priority. And since the government is NOT primarily black, it is not being handled with a great enough priority.
People need to be CONSCIOUS of racism and make an effort to fight against the tide of prejudice and strive for equality.

But I don't mean this to be so much about racism as much as generations. It takes a long time for a group of poor people to grow rich. It takes generations to dispose of stereotypes. It is not a coincidence that a group that was throttled in slavery as recent as 1861 is still disproportionately poor. Our nation's racist history is too recent for it to be thought of as nonexistent.

[Larajax]

I have to agree, overall, with StussyD. Research has consistently shown that people in a position of privelege (where privelege means power that has not been individually earned) are highly unlikely to recognize that they hold any sort of privelege. In America, white people have privelege. They are more likely to get a good education at an accredited high school, more likely to go to college, more likely to have middle-class or upper-class parents, less likely to go to jail if arrested, and less likely to be arrested in the first place - even when caught committing a crime. In more instances than I can name, we, the caucasians, have made sure that the balance of privelege stays tipped in our favor through the enactment, perpetuation, and unbalanced enforcement of laws that maintain that privelege. At the same time, we do not consciously recognize the fact that we have it easier in so many ways than most minorities - especially blacks - have it.

The fact is, if most of the poor people on the Gulf Coast are black, then there is a racial disparity that needs to be addressed and has not been addressed. The reason that most of the people affected so horribly by Katrina are black is the direct result of centuries of racism. No matter how many blacks George W. Bush appoints to government positions, it will not change the fact that, during his presidency, he has done nothing to change the status quo in this regard. I'm not trying to say that George W. Bush hates black people, but it doesn't really appear that he cares much about them.

We have to look at the facts. When a hurricane hits the Florida coast, which is far more white and far more upper class (not to mention a state governed by the president's brother), the federal response is swift and sure. While this disaster was far more severe than the hurricanes that have hit Florida have been, the level and speed of response do seem to indicate a discrepency between the federal interests in one state versus another.

[DeeDee]

StussyD: Let me tell you something. I live in middle class neighborhood in the Northeast at present. We have three black families, two chinese families and one German young woman who own homes within this 32 house culdesaq. My next door neighbors are middle age blacks who have one of the largest homes in the neighborhood, drive new vehicles, one of which is a Lincoln and they own a local retail shop. They both came from lower income families who took advantage of the government educational offers for minorities and both lifted themselves out of lower income poor black neighborhoods within a ten year period of time. One from a small community on the coast and the other from inner city Baltimore. Though they have family who remain in those poor settings, these people do not blame the federal government for their family members who do not have the initiative to take advantage of federal aid in getting an education. They don't play the blame game according to race and do tend to agree with Cosby. As long as we accept excuses for laziness nothing will be accomplished. There was a level of personal responsibility held by these people that you are overlooking. I also do not see where you find any fault at the local level in planning prior to landfall, all of which cannot be overlooked. I do not think myself prejuduce toward color but absolutely detest laziness. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. There are dead beat, free loader mentalities in all colors in America. It just so happens that New Orleans has a greater population of such individuals than a lot of big cities and now that population has been dispersed. Maybe for some, it will encourage making an effort. For others they will only want to return to the projects and wait for the check in the mailbox, again regardless of color. But to think that the President is more to blame than Nagin, Blanco or the person who ignored the madatory evacuation order to begin with is almost demanding that the President should have overstepped chain of command and taken over the evacuation prior to a Cat 5 hitting New Orleans. Now that would have been a legal fiasco. But this is not Cuba, this is America and regardless of color protocol takes time. I do not agree with the government paying to rebuild all of New Orleans. I would think if the government wants to build responsibly for a person who cannot provide for themselves then the new housing should be above sea level. Granted that would require the person to move to anther area entirely. Would that be absurd? Some would say it would. I say, don't kick a gift horse in the mouth.

[DeeDee]

or bite the hand that feed you.

[StussyD]

DeeDee,
Let me start off by saying that I'm not accusing you or the President of being blatantly racist, or that minorities can not succeed in America.
Capitalism is praised because it gives people opportunity. And there are certainly many, many people who take advantage of opportunity to rise out of poverty and into middle-class-dom.
But you have to admit that it is more difficult for a person born into poverty in New Orleans to succeed than a kid born into a middle class household. The poor child attends a broke, dysfunctional school that for many reasons can't educate nearly as well as it would like to. The suburban kid attends a public school, which, since it is close to where he lives, is by nature of better quality. The suburban school gets more money in taxes and has more parents able to volunteer, so it offers a better education. The poor child CAN attend the suburban public school, but he has to leave his house at 7 every morning and take the bus just to get there at 8:30.
As I'm sure you know, this sort of scenario happens over and over again throughout the lives of everyone, but especially for poor people. Naturally, these situations can greatly impede a group's ability to prosper economically. And, as our friend Maslow pointed out, http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/psychology/maslow_pyramid.html, it is very difficult to fulfill your potential as a human being if you can not meet your more basic needs. i.e. food, clothes, housing. Vehicles might be in the next level of the pyramid.
While everyone may have the same potential, poor people have to work harder to achieve the same accomplishments as rich people. Most likely, the minorities in your neighborhood were born into poverty and had to work very hard to get where they are today, OR, they were born into middle class money and they have only had to work moderately hard to get where they are.
I would not feel the need to explain social inequalities to you if you had not dared to say:
"There are dead beat, free loader mentalities in all colors in America. It just so happens that New Orleans has a greater population of such individuals..."
Maybe these people in New Orleans aren't deadbeats. Maybe they just aren't as fortunate as you and I.
I can tell you personally and honestly, that as a white kid with the good fortune of attending (mostly) good schools in a well-off neighborhood, I have not had to work as hard as another kid out of the ghetto of Oakland would to achieve the same as me. I've had the opportunity of good teachers, of good experiences, of lack of trauma, and of good role models, that disadvantaged people, and perhaps the people of New Orleans, have not had. And I am speaking from experience.

Regarding the Federal government's responsibility, you must not have followed the link I supplied in my previous post. If you are resistant to read the whole article, as I recommend, I'll give you a few key excerpts.

Excerpted from the National Response Plan: "ALL PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES UNDER THE STAFFORD ACT ARE CONSIDERED INCIDENTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE." (NRP, 7)
Quoting the blogger, Georgia10:
When President Bush declared Katrina a disaster (link), he EXPLICITY invokes Title V of the Stafford Act. Thus, Katrina became an Incident of National Significance on August 26, THREE DAYS before landfall.
--The (link) is here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

And, since the hurricane was an Incident of National Significance as of August 26, the NRP reads that the Secretary of Homeland Security has full authority:
When an incident or potential incident is of such severity, magnitude, and/or complexity that it is considered an Incident of National Significance, the Secretary of Homeland Security initiates actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the incident." (NHP, 15)

Additionally,: "The President leads the Nation in responding efficiently and ensuring the necessary resources are applied quickly and effectively to all Incidents of National Significance." (NHP, 15)
And to bring it home: "Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited, or under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude." (NRP, 44)

But please, follow the link, because there's no way that I can do as good a job as the original author did. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/225729/7487

Now, I do not know enough to debate you on where these people's houses are being rebuilt--if that has been decided, which I doubt.
Let me ask you: Who is biting the hand that feeds them? Who is "the hand?"
These victims are not "biting." They are, for the most part, pleading for help.
Maybe this wouldn't we a problem if they were being adequately fed.

[DeeDee]

I am not going to debate you on this. I hope you did read this link:

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2005/09/fema_funds_show.html

America is still a democracy. I would say, get on board campaigning for a nominee of your choice and may the best man win. I believe President Bush has shown leadership and responsibility in the Katrina effort and that your patronizing the so called victims is not going to help them.

[StussyD]

I did read that, and I didn't find it relevant.
Let your attention linger with me for these few remaining paragraphs.
As a middle class white kid having left a very integrated high school to UCLA, I can tell you that I had some friends (they are middle class and white, like almost all of my friends) that would have responded to tragedy the same way. But my friends have still gone to further their education in state universities. Their society has given them this much of a buffer.

To paraphrase Larajax, the problem with us with privileged people like ourselves is that we have trouble realizing our privilege. We can not expect more out of poor people than ourselves. There's just as many irresponsible New Orleansians as there are Northeasterns.

You are being critical of the entire population of New Orleans because "at least one" went to a strip club. Exactly how many tens of thousands of people were living in the Astrodome?

But, of course, you are right.
Just because all of their possessions have been destroyed and they have been lost all aspects of the word "home" doesn't make them victims. I mean, I'm sure living in the Astrodome is WAY better than the mud huts they lived in before Katrina.

[okoj]

GWB does not hate black folks. Look at all the good church going conservative white folks he stuck it to in Missisippi. He could not care less about those guys in Biloxi, and Gulfport. It's NOT racism, it's incompetance.

Colin Powell, the hero of the Gulf War is known for the Powell Doctrine. That was to use only air warfare whenever possible, and to use overwhelming ground forces afterwards. Also force should be used as a last resort. All great lesons from his Vietnam days. The US fought wars in the 90's with great victories, and little lost of life for civilians and troops. Powell's place in history is set. There will be "Powell Class" aircraft carriers in the future.

I beleive Rumsfeld and Wolferwitz wanted to discredit the Powell Doctrine and all it acheived and claim glory for themselves. Selfish Bastards! Remember Rummy was suprised no one patted him on the back for "winning" Iraq quickly without massive troops. The tragic failure of Iraq will only ensure the Powell Doctrine will be the military standard of this century. Sorry Rummy :(

Powell should have been 43.

[okoj]

I forgot..

The only racist mentioned in this thread was Bill Cosby. When he invites beautiful young women over for dinner and some groping, why does he exclude blacks? Please no hate..he admitted to groping them, but did not admit to using drugs on them.

Also the only racist in the Bush administration is Condi Rice. Have you ever seen the woman within 10' of another black person? A huricane destroyed the region where she was born and raised, but did she return? Did she pay her family to disapear? At least Clarence Thomas had his son at his confirmation hearing.

[DeeDee]

Please do not think that my statements include the majority of displaced. We were talking about the thousands who are capable of doing better yet refuse. I have spear headed a large relief effort in my communittee and have stretched my personal resources to the max for these displaced persons. Nevertheless, teaching a person welfare mentality is not the answer. Teach them that an education is their best resource and no one else is responsible for that on their behald.

Oh yes, Condi did go to Ms and visit her affected area first.

Open mindness to begin with is required or you may never see anything good in what the present administration is doing.

[Ron]

The diff is there are Niggers and there are blacks and they are a lot of Niggers in New Orleans hdhheheheheheeheh ok go ahead and jump on me i can handle it.

[okoj]

Sounds like Ron is ready for a "Prison Love Scene." He ready to be "jumped on" and he says can "take it." Good for you Ron. Be safe!

I can not see anything good coming from the present administration. I think GWB's administration was hijacked after 9/11. Remember before 9/11 GWB was a bit of an isolationist. He did not want to get involved in such world affairs like Middle East Conflict. When 9/11 hit, he was preceived as a weak president of a divided nation. He then became a neocon and advanced the neocon views of changing the world into our image at all cost. He might have seen the error of his ways after Katrina. He has a few years to turns things back around. I am still hopeful, if not open.

[Ron]

okoj im gonna look over that remark , you know the diff in a nigger and a black dont ya?

[StussyD]

I'm just going to warn you, Ron. That better be Chris Rock material, or you're going to flamed.

[StussyD]

DeeDee, how will we teach them that education is their best resource?
Perhaps put money into urban development and public schools. Just a tangent rant.

[Ron]

stussyd do you know the diff in a nigger in a black person?

[okoj]

Ron. It looks like you were correct. You CAN take IT! LOL! Be safe dude..really.

Of all my Bush bashing, I would have to agree that the next step to help poor people is by economic advancement and education. I have not seen any info as to how effective the present administration has been in these areas, but my gut feeling is these have been cut.

[Ron]

Thanks okoj

[DeeDee]

SussyD: Require them to attend some type of course at a high school, community center, college or technical school before they can collect a check. That would be a new incentive, required education. Unless there are "special circumstances" of course. There has to be accountability somewhere with the recipient.

[!]

AMERICA IS NOT A DEMOCRACY. AMERICA IS A REPUBLIC ! READ YOUR HISTORY !!

[DeeDee]

!:
Main Entry: de·moc·ra·cy
Pronunciation: di-'mä-kr&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
2 : a political unit that has a democratic government —dem·o·crat·ic /"de-m&-'kra-tik/ adjective —dem·o·crat·i·cal·ly adverb

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

democracy

n 1: the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives 2: a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
[syn: republic, commonwealth] [ant: autocracy] 3: the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group [syn: majority rule]

[Nordette]

Man, you continue to be a trip. I wouldn't expect the kind of people who agree with you to care about building racial harmony, but I'll post this link just the same:

www.mojo411.net

Some people (racists) just can't see themselves and they think they're invisible too.

Let's see how many of your supporters drop by to tell black people their opinion about the word "nigger." Perhaps I'll see then who really wants harmony who really wants to gripe and support folks like Bill Bennett in his type of commentary. And you call yourselves patriots. Give me a break! The truth will out.

Nordette Adams
Jersey Goddess

[I Be M]

INDIAN HIP HOP TRIO “ROCKS”

Double-platinum rap trio The Invisible People recently announced the world premier of their self-produced EP (Expect the Unexpected) and video “Premeditated Murder: Meditated Upon”. Three brothers, originally from the Fiji Islands, are I Be M, Skitzofrenic, and Mr. Sandmantis. Their Indian decent and multi-cultural influences sweat like spices from their hard-hitting hip hop symphonies. The Invisible People don’t just produce and write. They compose, using a sophisticated arrangement of sounds, samples, and live players reminiscent of rock legends that dared to tread beyond the norm. The Invisible People style pays respect to a rich history of music and musicians be it blues, jazz, classical, hip hop, rock or Indian. They love music and it shows in their distinct sound. They are not afraid to experiment, to express, or to go into uncharted territory. In fact, they insist on it and L.A.’s independent Hip Hop label and media powerhouse Indus Street Entertainment is quick to oblige. The result is a group that is rooted in hard-core Hip Hop, yet has broken barriers. The Invisible People ‘Rock’ in every sense of the word.

The video for “Premeditated Murder: Meditated Upon”, which may be viewed on www.invisible-people.com, is an ideal example of The Invisible People style. In fact, it is a signature aspect of The Invisible Peoples inner psyche. It is a confession. The scenes depict the brothers engaging in what appears to be innocent activities (cleaning a classic Rolls Royce, smoking a cigarette, performing a healing treatment), though there is obvious tension in the plot. Like Godfather I the movie, the brothers are a first generation family in America where it’s not ‘business as usual’. In fact, all three brothers with their long, braided, jet-black hair don’t even look like the usual suspects. They duel with struggles of light and dark in ways and means customary in the ‘old country’. Overt references to ‘battle’, ‘enemies’, ‘sacrifice’, and ‘death’ run cold through Skitzofrenics verses. All the while, I Be M, who actually holds an M.S. degree in Oriental Medicine, operates on a complacent and unsuspecting patient. This is the clue that there is something more than what is seemingly present on the surface. There’s hope. There’s a surreal sense that ‘light’ persists even in the midst of absolute darkness. Dare I say, light exists because of absolute darkness.

Do the scenes in the video ultimately infer murder, i.e. ‘Premeditated Murder’ like the song title suggests? Or is the subject being released in a ritualistic manner by way of shamanic exorcism? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the details. In pursuit of the very answer to these questions we are privy to the ‘Invisible’ in The Invisible People. What we find is a subtle proclamation, an acceptance, of something hidden and sacred, something tangible to our psyche, yet ‘Invisible’ to the world. Yes, the video is dark. But somehow the brothers find redemption in what appears to be signs of life and light. An image of a ‘Crow’, a Phoenix-like metaphor, rises out of flames and is a symbol of death and resurrection, a spirit being released. Fire is sacred and is present in every South Asian ceremony. It is a symbol of purification. The scenes take an eerie turn becoming all the more haunting while juxtaposed to a soft and feminine voice singing “churaliya hay tumne jo dil ko, nazar nahi churana sanam” (you’ve stolen my heart, don’t steal my sight (perception ‘of truth’) my beloved”. This is the final log in the funeral pyre if you will. The job is done. The crow takes to the sky.

William Faulkner once said that ‘the past is never dead, it’s not even past”. The Invisible People know this well. They knowingly toy with the idea. There is only life after life. The video features handpicked props and sets that set the stage for the past to come alive. Everything from the early 1900’s style architecture of the featured home, a classic Rolls Royce (The vehicle registration still reads Harrah’s No. 8 and is a car that was reserved for the legendary Rat Pack in Las Vegas by Harrahs Hotel & Casino), ruins of the Humming Bird temples of Tzin, Tzun, Tzan, and the ancient healing art of acupuncture are indicative of and an homage to the old. According to Mr. Sandmantis, who Minored in Anthropology at California State University Northridge, and who makes pilgrimages to sacred sites throughout the world regularly, “the past isn’t just relevant to us…it’s alive. So as long as we have a connection to and a memory of our living past we have a backbone to stand on”. Oh yes, you do hear the passion of Public Enemies’ “It Takes A Nation of Millions…” loud and clear from The Invisible People. Bravo.

The song, “Premeditated Murder: Meditated Upon” is an example of what Bruce Lee referred to as ‘Broken Rhythm’. Although the song has a distinct pattern, it lacks traditional organization in a sense of a single catchy hook repeated over and over again. Somehow the risqué maneuver works. It’s meant to be listened to, to draw you in. If the lyrics don’t get you, the deep Led Zep-ish groove in “When the Levy Breaks” will. Like many Classic Rock recordings, The Invisible People chose to allow the track to evolve naturally, to let its composition reflect the journey it was meant to take a listener on, instead of forcing it to fit tightly into a predictable ‘air-play’ model. With freedom at hand Skitzofrenic cut his calibrated rhymes in one take. I Be M and Mr. Sandmantis recite animal fighting styles that touch upon their psycho-spiritual persona. The song also features a funky scratch solo by the incredible DJ Spin-vincible. The song and the video reflect each other’s complexity and finesse. At last, the stakes are raised. A cult classic is born. All hail to independent labels that innovate and compel with their hard fought independence.

www.invisible-people.com
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