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Imani Powell said this on April 25, 2007 05:05:

Bev, you rock!

Kiss said this on April 25, 2007 06:32:

Bev, this article cuts like a knife. As a black female DJ, I am guilty of playing popular music that has mysogynistic and often degrading lyrics, and I am not proud of it. When Don Imus referred to the Rutgers basketball team as "nappy headed hoes" my first thought was 'Wow, rappers say things far worse than that on a regular basis!' Why are we not as quick to judge them? Disrespect is disrespect, no matter whose mouth it comes from. What's worse is that since popular music is consumed by people mostly outside of our culture it often makes them think that it is ok to think like this. This cycle has to stop somewhere and I applaud you for standing up and challenging us to stand with you.

Joan Morgan said this on April 25, 2007 14:36:

Well done Bev. You more than rock, you lead!

Renee said this on April 25, 2007 14:58:

Beverly, I applaud your thoughts and efforts on this journey back to reality! The morals of our children have been lost to the images of "Pimps" and their "ho's!" Keep speaking the truth! Glad to see you doing your thing!

global fusiom said this on April 25, 2007 15:47:

Excellent ! Your word is bond! You hit it all straight on the dome. The same thing stood out to me about Kevin Lyles "little Timmy" story. I applaud Oprah for doing the show but I feel this was her opportunity to have rappers like Ludacris & Snoop whom had taken issue with her not having them on the show because of what she felt the represented. It would have been only fair to have those you are speaking about represented in a forum. Russell Simmons is now the Al Sharpton of hip-hop with the press ops & representing a whole nation of people who never elected him to represent them. Russell is doing a disservice to hip-hop by defending & blaming the deplorable lyrics with poverty. As an African I have seen a lot of people who live in true poverty because there are levels of poverty, but I never heard any of these people use the N word toward one another & disrespect women in their so called art & then sell it as an international commodity & representation of we they are as a people. It's really appalling & we all need to stop making excuses- Wrong is wrong regardless of your circumstances. I had to explain to people in Africa & Italy that the N word was an offensive word & that African-American life is not representative of what the see & hear in Hip-Hop. I just wanted to enjoy my time in these places not become a teacher to get out the truth but the crap that mainstream hip-hop is spreading as African-American culture left me no choice. African-Americans & especially females need to really realize that this is a major international issue because I don't want to go overseas & have people ask me if I can make my ass clap like the girls in hip-hop videos! Poverty is an international problem not any excuse for appalling behavior -so someone needs to explain that to Russell Simmons because he is saying the language is rude but justifying it with the fact that these young men come from poverty so if we can't abolish poverty then we can't abolish this way of thinking or the language that comes with this way of thinking -THAT'S RIDICULOUS! poverty HAS BEEN AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM FOR CENTURIES SO HOW LONG DOES Russell EXPECT US TO WAIT TO CLEAN UP OUR OWN HOMES! Hip-hop has created more black millionaires than ever but at what cost? All these millionaires speaking about the hood don't live in the hood & don't realize their own power over the group think of young minds. We are really a culture lost & need to figure it out within ourselves & not wait for White folks to check us before we realize that wrong is wrong. I watched CNN last night with Anderson Cooper interviewing the Founder of The Harlem Children Zone, who said he was a little afraid of the repercussions that may come to him on addressing the ills of Hip-hop with the whole "Stop Snitching" idiocy. This is an elder in our community that is trying to lift up young black people , why should he be afraid to speak out against his own people that have been making his life chosen work that much harder. This is disgraceful! Let's use this moment in time to truly make change and stop being so defensive toward one another because if there is no problem then there isn't anything to be defensive about. Where's MR. CEO Jay Z & Jimmy Iovine on this topic since they are responsible for the biggest names in hop right now. Where are the parents, where are the young women standing up saying they will no longer subject themselves to be ass clappers & sexual objects in videos, where are the cooperations standing up & saying we will no longer sign & promote such offensive behavior? This change will not happen over night & it will take us all as individuals to check ourselves since the hypocrisy in all of this is rapid & each one of us has a part in it. Each one teach One!!

You go Bev!! Black Girls Rock movement is a great catalyst for the movement toward change!

Sway said this on April 25, 2007 16:26:

Well said Beverly, Ironically today one of my best friends was called a Bitch this morning by some white man, and she backhanded him, and thought she needed anger management classes, but I'll let her share that story with you. All in all I believe that we are becoming so defeated in so many areas, and we are becoming lazy with respect for ourselves, as well as raising our youth. We need empowerment on so many levels, and I believe if certain values are taught in the early stages, our youth would understand the value of self. It is quite disturbing and it's so disgusting to walk down the street, and sit on the train and hear young boys and girls, calling themselves Ni____s and Bitches. This is a disease and we need a cure bad! We need to make ALL youth realize that they rock. With women like you speaking out on our behalf we can at least start with our young women, that's where the training needs to start, as they are responsible for who and how we are bringing young kids up in our world.
Much Love B. I'm down!

Kito said this on April 25, 2007 17:18:

Bev-Once again , you put it out there. This is a wound that needs much more than a bandaid to heal. May others see your courage and feel strong enough to get behind your Black Girls Rock movment to help make a much needed change. We ( black women who now better)need to jump in the waters and save our young girls from drowning. When they can stand strong , the brothers must come correct or Snoop will wear the thong and the lease while R Kelly pisses on him. Ladies, it's time to sink or swim.

LaTasha from the BX! said this on April 25, 2007 18:07:

F%*K LIL TIMMY!!!!!! Somebody tell Kevin Lyles that LIL TIMMY's parents are callin' HIM a 'NAPPY HEADED HO' as soon as he leaves their yard!!! i can't believe he went on national tv just to make an ASS out of himself! Folks are so self centered it's sickening. I feel like throwin' up everytime I think about who we have as 'spokespersons' for a dying breed of music that can no longer be excused. None of them brothers or sisters with the cushy music exec jobs and expense a accounts GIVE A DAMN!!! Trust me!!!! And don't let them feed you all sorts of cliche jargon saying they do! It's about the money!!! And we, our children, our people, our women are paying the cost. These selfish bastards are costing us our respect around the entire globe!!! Sheeeiiittt!!! There's a tit and ass casting probably poppin' off right now for some idiot's new hit single, "Yo Ass Iz N Mah Face"! Ni**as never learn!!! "Speak out Bev!!! YOU ARE RIGHT!!!!

Kells said this on April 25, 2007 18:25:

Ms. Bond, this the most eloquent and thought - provoking piece i have read on this issue thus far. When the issue first surfaced, I had to sit and help people see both sides of the fence. People were so angry at what Don Imus said, but didn't stop to think about where he may have gotten that from...We have to start grabbing hold of respect for ourselves and begin to take back responsibility for our youth...i actually came across Black Girls Rock! on MySpace, and let me tell you Ms. Bond, I couldn't be happier to be down for such cause. Keep doing your thing and opening up new worlds to the blind!!

global fusion said this on April 25, 2007 19:22:

Excellent ! Your word is bond! You hit it all straight on the dome. The same thing stood out to me about Kevin Lyles "little Timmy" story. I applaud Oprah for doing the show & she damn well does not need any pass to speak out on black culture or women, but I feel this was her opportunity to have rappers like Ludacris & Snoop whom had taken issue with her not having them on the show because of what she felt they represented. It would have been only fair to have those you are speaking about represented in a forum and not just those that you can stomach & pretty much know & control what you will get out of them. Russell Simmons is now the Al Sharpton of hip-hop with the press ops & representing a whole nation of people who never elected him to represent them. Russell is doing a disservice to hip-hop by defending & blaming the deplorable lyrics with poverty. As an African-American growing up in Ghana & being raised by my African family, I have seen a lot of people who live in true poverty because there are levels of poverty that most of these rappers can never imagine ( case & point- if you have a chance check out MTV's documentary on Blood diamonds with Raekwon of Wu Tang, Paul Wall & others). Raekwon could not even stomach the type of poverty that he saw & had to be coaxed out of a van to face it. I have no intention of trying to compare poverty levels but I never heard any of these people in the type of poverty that
someone from the "so called hood" could not stomach use the N word toward one another & disrespect women because of their poverty or use their poverty as an international commodity & representation of we they are as a people. It's really appalling & we all need to stop making excuses- Wrong is wrong regardless of your circumstances. I had to explain to people in Africa & Italy that the N word was an offensive word & that African-American life is not representative of what they see & hear in Hip-Hop. I just wanted to enjoy my time in these places not become a teacher to get out the truth, but the crap that mainstream hip-hop is spreading as African-American culture left me no choice. African-Americans & especially females need to really realize that this is a major international issue because I don't want to go overseas & have people ask me if I can make my ass clap like the girls in hip-hop videos! If I can that's up to my man to be the judge not some random men that know nothing about me but have learned about African-American culture from the globalization of hip-hop. Poverty is an international problem not any excuse for appalling behavior -so someone needs to explain that to Russell Simmons because he is saying the language is rude but justifying it with the fact that these young men come from poverty, so if we can't abolish poverty then we can't abolish this way of thinking or the language that comes with this way of
thinking -THAT'S RIDICULOUS! poverty HAS BEEN AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM FOR CENTURIES SO HOW LONG DOES Russell EXPECT US TO WAIT TO CLEAN UP OUR OWN HOMES as well as his! Don't pretend you are not a part of the problem and take press ops to sell your books & products-that's just wrong. Our elders
really need to realize that they are part of this huge problem because they allowed it to manifest into an international representation of African-American culture without checking it as you would hopefully check your own children from bad disrespectful behavior, but if you have no real respect for self how can you preach to others. I agree with Russell that we shouldn't just berate these rappers because they are & were young
people trying to find their way & growing up comes with a lot of change for most people. Let's give these rappers a chance to change before we destroy a huge commodity in Black Culture because hip-hop has made a lot of Black people rich & have ownership in many things from TV networks to record labels, to clothing lines etc.
Hip-hop has created more black millionaires than ever but at what cost?
All these millionaires speaking about the hood don't live in the hood & don't realize their own power over the group think of young minds & this is the understanding that needs to get thru in order to change. We are really a culture in turmoil but we are not lost. We need to figure it out within ourselves & not wait for White folks to check us before we realize that wrong is wrong.
>>
>> I watched CNN last night with Anderson Cooper interviewing the Founder of The Harlem Children Zone, who said he was a little afraid of the repercussions that may come to him on addressing the ills of Hip-hop with the whole "Stop Snitching" idiocy. This is an elder in our community that is trying to lift up young black people , why should he be afraid to speak
out against his own people that have been making his life chosen work that much harder. We should not let this thug mentally run our community or intimidate us from doing what's right. This is disgraceful! This is an
eloquent gentlemen who has fought for the rights that these young men utilize in their disrespect. He spoke on how Black Music has always been an international commodity for upliftment of Black people worldwide with our contribution of Jazz, R& B & EVEN HIP-HOP IN THE BEGINNING, but now we have taken a 360 deplorable turn to showcase the worst of us. Cameron is just a straight idiot & has received more press for his idiocy on 60 minutes than he received for his whole last album. Where do they find these morons to represent Black People? Black American lifestyle is so much more than hip-hop & we have had a long running history of greatness, struggle & perseverance so let's not put that in the underground while we expose the worst parts of our community.
Let's use this moment in time to truly make change and stop being so defensive toward one another because if there is no problem then there isn't anything to be defensive about. Where's MR. CEO Jay Z & Jimmy Iovine on this topic since they are responsible for the biggest names in hip-hop right now. Where are the parents, where are the young women standing up
saying they will no longer subject themselves to be ass clappers & sexual objects in videos, where are the corporations standing up & saying we will no longer sign & promote such offensive behavior? This change will not happen over night & it will take us all as individuals to check ourselves since the hypocrisy in all of this is rapid & each one of us has a part in it. Each one teach One!!
You go Bev!! Black Girls Rock movement is a great catalyst for the
movement toward change!

Lisa said this on April 25, 2007 19:31:

Once Blacks understand the fundamental issues, ultimately, the organizing of all of the appropriate behaviors necessary to neutralize the great injustice of the racism will only be a matter of time. The length of time required to neutralize the racism will be proportionate to the level of understanding of the depth of the phenomenon and the evolution of self/group-respect, will, determination and discipline to practice the appropriate counter-racist behaviors--on the part of the Black victims of white supremacy.

JB said this on April 25, 2007 22:08:

This is just amazing. My freind emailed this to me because of an altercation I had this morning.

I am a grown woman with 10 year old twin girls. I stopped on the the way to school to pick up bagels at a coffee spot in Brooklyn. I was running late and very distracted. I double parked, and as I was running in a white man was standing in the doorway shouting something, but I was not paying attention to him, I was looking at the line, thinking "we're going to be really late". When I got to the door he was looking me dead in face, so I said excuse me, because I realized he was speaking to me. He said, rather abrupt "you're blocking my car and I need to leave". So I looked at the line again to see if I could quickly place my order and run out to move the car. He said something else as he paid the cashier and I said "what is your problem"? He came to my face looked me in the eyes and called be a "fucking bitch"....I swear I turned into something I've never felt in my life, and I slapped him. Yes across the face, no my daughters did not see their mother defend her dignity, but I was pissed!!! "How dare you call me out of my name, you don't know me."
I looked over at the people in line, mostly black women and they were looking at me like damn I can't believe that just happened. After I moved my car and went in to place my order the guys that work there apologized to me because I stop in there all the time and they know I'm not insane, and it was just wrong.

As I was driving I was thinking to myself, because that was so completely out of character, that I should have just walked away, (which is what I would normally do) or just check him off as getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Those thoughts only lasted 2 second, I slapped that mans face because unfortunately everything you so elequently wrote is true and at that point he was Don Imus, and every other disrespecting man. I feel guilty saying it felt really good, because I know that I should not be walking around slapping people it is not the solution, and I thank God I didn't go to jail.

It was great to read your blog and the comments after all that drama and now I actually think I can laugh about it.

Thank you Ms DJ

JB said this on April 25, 2007 22:11:

This is just amazing. My freind emailed this to me because of an altercation I had this morning.

I am a grown woman with 10 year old twin girls. I stopped on the the way to school to pick up bagels at a coffee spot in Brooklyn. I was running late and very distracted. I double parked, and as I was running in a white man was standing in the doorway shouting something, but I was not paying attention to him, I was looking at the line, thinking "we're going to be really late". When I got to the door he was looking me dead in face, so I said excuse me, because I realized he was speaking to me. He said, rather abrupt "you're blocking my car and I need to leave". So I looked at the line again to see if I could quickly place my order and run out to move the car. He said something else as he paid the cashier and I said "what is your problem"? He came to my face looked me in the eyes and called be a "fucking bitch"....I swear I turned into something I've never felt in my life, and I slapped him. Yes across the face, no my daughters did not see their mother defend her dignity, but I was pissed!!! "How dare you call me out of my name, you don't know me."
I looked over at the people in line, mostly black women and they were looking at me like damn I can't believe that just happened. After I moved my car and went in to place my order the guys that work there apologized to me because I stop in there all the time and they know I'm not insane, and it was just wrong.

As I was driving I was thinking to myself, because that was so completely out of character, that I should have just walked away, (which is what I would normally do) or just check him off as getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Those thoughts only lasted 2 second, I slapped that mans face because unfortunately everything you so elequently wrote is true and at that point he was Don Imus, and every other disrespecting man. I feel guilty saying it felt really good, because I know that I should not be walking around slapping people it is not the solution, and I thank God I didn't go to jail.

It was great to read your blog and the comments after all that drama and now I actually think I can laugh about it.

Thank you Ms DJ

Marisa said this on April 26, 2007 00:58:

Bev, I am so glad this is finally up. It takes guts to say what you have said and more of us need to do just that. I commend you for speaking up and you are absolutely right...this needs to change and change soon. As a mother, i wonder what society will look like for our children in the near future. I look to my daughter and think she better never tolerate the disrespect that we see all day everyday and I look to my son and say dont you ever disrespect a woman...your favorite rapper isnt as cool as you are lead to believe. We as parents, friends, relatives, a community need to raise our kids to stop the bullshit before it starts. Disrespect is disrespect, no matter who is comes from so let's start with our people and set an example. We need to handle this now. Thanks Bev! Black Girls really do ROCK!

DJ SuperDre said this on April 26, 2007 03:00:

First off, you are seriously one of my biggest inspirations :) I completely agree with Kiss. As a black female DJ, I too am faced with the same dilemma. The music that's popular and that everyone wants to hear and 'get crunk' to at the clubs, just makes me cringe sometimes. I'll admit there are times that even I get caught off guard, because as a musician, I get so caught up in the beat, that I will realize I'm bobbing my head to something that is degrading all women regardless of color. Then I feel there is another argument. I don't get terribly offended by a lot of the lyrics because when rappers are referring to bitches and ho's, I don't consider myself as falling into either of those categories, so I don't get personally offended by the lyrics. HOWEVER, my main concern is this. For those who don't get a lot of interaction with blacks (more specifically black women), I sometimes worry that what they hear in popular music and what they see in music videos, will mold their minds into thinking "all black women are like this". Unfortunately, there aren't enough positive images of black women in the media as a whole (television, radio, music etc.) to truly counteract that image.

I do what I can to stand up for the right thing and to demand that we get the respect we deserve. I belong to an organization called the Grand Rapids Hip-Hop Coalition and during Hip-Hop Appreciation Week (May 13-20), we are devoting a day to a celebration of women in hip-hop. Not just a celebration, but a positive movement. We are holding a panel discussion for young girls to get them on 'the level' so to speak, so they don't begin to think that they need to be like the women in the videos to get attention from men. It's a small start, but it's one giant leap for all of us black women out there who demand some respect.

Black girls rock ;)

HYT ME said this on April 26, 2007 05:29:

Well said Bev. You definitely hit the nail on the head from every aspect as an artist
Let me widen the thought. If it was a black male saying this about white woman, think about how quickly the tables would have been turned.

April said this on April 26, 2007 05:59:

Beverly.......You Rock !!!

Gucci, Godiva, and God said this on April 26, 2007 07:54:

We completely agree. We can never ask anyone to do more for us than we are willing to do for ourselves. If we don't stop allowing this to happen by simply turning a blind eye, we are just as much to blame (if not more so). As an influential celeb in this business, we appauld your courage to write such a passioante article.

Team Gucci, Godiva, and God - www.myspace.com/guccigodivaandgod

WarReN Peace said this on April 27, 2007 06:12:

Kick The Truth To The Young Black Youth Bev!
Fuck Little Timmy!

DR. JELKS said this on April 27, 2007 16:31:

I agree with much that you have to say. What is troubling, however, is the lack of political analysis from much of the hip hop intellectual community. Where is the calls for resurgence of African American cultural life as a part of reshaping the African American life in general? The Black Aesthetics movement of the late 1960s to be sure was problematic in how it interpreted art and what purposes of art was for, just as its earlier precursor the Harlem Renaissance had done, but the issue that ought to be learn from this movement is that artistic expressions should be both a critic and advocate of new vision of life. As an artistic advocate the current debate is missing the real external factors driving this debate. Much of black male reality has been made criminal. Among African Americans we have always had our outlaws and hoodlums, but that was counterbalanced by males who were high achieving or could be successful with their brawn in providing for a family. The deindustrialization of American life disproportionately affected African American males. And throughout the 1980s, African American male reality was literally criminalized. This criminality, which reflected in the vast imprisonment of young men, and now young women, became the focal point of much commercially successful hip hop rap. It was a barometer of the changing and the political harsh conditions in Black America, especially among the poor and working class. In this harsh social climate and the changing realities for black women allowed historical antipathies between black men and women to grow in disproportionately larger as angry and misogynistic black men lashed out at black women for their depressing social situation. Rather than strike out at a social injustice--we had Promise Keepers in Black Face in the Million Man March. Sadly, the march changed no legislation and empowered no education bills to change the plight of vast numbers of black men.
We cannot separate our discussion about the respect that African American rightful deserve and must have from the actual political realities that have debased the lives of young men. My point is that we must beyond moralizing about the problem to having artistic expressions whether rap, fiction, films to help us to see a new way of thinking. A new way of acting. That means calling for artists, no matter their art form, to push a new kind of Black Aesthics that aids in enhancing who we are. In so doing, the lives of African American women and men will get the kind of respect both are seeking and all people in my local community rightfully deserve.

Monica said this on April 27, 2007 16:43:

Thank you!!!!! The Blog is great! Your voice is
powerful and impressive!

Julie said this on April 27, 2007 16:46:

These are very powerful thoughts, you make great connections and allow us ( your reader) to t see connections and by the end of the read there is a build up of truth that is in your face in black and white and the truth can not be denied.

Mark said this on April 27, 2007 16:56:

Yes, indeed. Those Entourage comments and credits did not go unnoticed. And when Ari recently went to a gay club to "save" his gay Asian assistant, there definitely were some black men featured in that episode, huh? Should we leave out the Sopranos, whose show only features blacks committing crimes (e.g., black prostitutes) or blacks getting beat downs or bullets from Tony and the boys. And what about when Tony's daughter was dating that "sambo," according to Tony. While we are at it, let's talk about HBO in general, Deadwood: racist. Curb Your Enthusiasm:Similar comments by Larry David. Oz.

What's interesting to me is that Don Imus makes racist remarks and the problem is black men, under the guise of lyrics in hip hop. Hip hop is a predominantly black male medium, where the "artists" come from oppressed communities. So when one ostensibly attacks hip hop, he or she is really attacking black men. The enemy would love for us to attack hip hop because there are too many hip hop celebrities making big money. And that's not the image the enemy wants out there, although the images are mostly of wannabe thugs. Oddly enough, after Russell Simmons has made his gazillions and has retired from the phat farm, he's requesting that hip hop be cleaned up.

The problem is not black men, nor lyrics in hip hop. To paraphrase Tupac Shakur, rappers are only talking about certain types of women as both bitches and whores/hoes. Racist Americans extend those phrases to mean, and demean, all black women. I'm certain in the black community we know who Snoop and Tupac are talking about. Hip hop artists are only rapping about the problems in their oppressed communities. We need to focus on those problems: what lies beneath.

Our attention and the camera might be better focused on the covert and subtler forms of racism, such as the factors that undermine the ability of all women to close the income gap with men (which has not closed since women began entering the work force in large numbers), the lack of appropriate pay for public school teachers, the lack of textbooks in urban classrooms, the systemic refusal to give home loans to people of color, the lower rate of garbage pickup once a neighborhood becomes black/post white flight, police harassment brutality murder, a racist court legal and prison system, and racism in Latin America against "morenos." But let's keep it at home: the digital divide between WhiteAmericans and Black Americans in classrooms and homes. Information/knowledge remains power.

Questions: Has Toni Morrison ever written a dignified black male character? Is the Color Purple black-male bashing? Yet these authors are celebrated and to do otherwise borders on blasphemy. Would the enemy have a problem with the way black males are portrayed in Morrison and Walker's books?

As a kid growing up in the 60s, Howard Stern was assailed when his neighborhood turned black and his family was the last to flee. As an adult, his thinly veiled racist comments and sidekick are, what? But no one is calling for Howard's "head" and his comments are shrugged off by many blacks who enjoy his show. The problem is racists also listen to his show. A black teen was recently found hung from a tree. His mother claims a lynching. The white kids at the church summer camp claim not to know what happened.

Let's not be used by the enemy to turn against each other. Divide and conquer is really played out. Plus, we've got more pressing concerns.The new game is distract and destroy.

Sunshine said this on April 27, 2007 18:41:

kudos on your excellent blog. you give this site substance and style...your voice is needed...hopefully you'll be able to do more commentary than beauty products and practices...beauty editors can do that. you are a force and a voice that can help your audience get beautiful from the inside out......you do rock sis...

Black Women Unite said this on April 27, 2007 20:46:

There's irony in this article. On one hand, we want to stop being dehumanized, but yet again this article is in Vibe (VIXEN) A vixen is a female fox or a quarrlesome woman. So, we're once again compared to an animal or something with a bad attitude. 200 Kudos to you on this article. Excellent!

Chrissy said this on April 27, 2007 23:25:

This is an excellent blog. I was just going to blog about this when I saw the Time magazine cover with MR. IMUS himself.

As black women we are constantly dehumanized and demoralized. Even as a NCAA athlete in college, in the eyes of this country we will only ever be NAPPY HEADED HOEs..... And that's acceptable.

This IS a catalyst for the Black Womens Empowerment movement.

Thank you!!!

Zuhirah said this on April 27, 2007 23:26:

shame on hip hop for even being in a position to be blamed for the imus comments.... the context was totally different and i don't think hip hop should be his scapegoat.. in any case, he did become a catalyst/ slap in the face to the hip hop community urging us to deal with our demons. thanks Bev, and write on! :)

DJ M.O.S. said this on April 28, 2007 01:47:

Bev, you're right. It is crazy that Don Imus has is the one that brought attention to this problem. In Hip Hop there have always been songs with questionable lyrics, but it seems that those are the records that are being promoted and supported the most. When record companies keep feeding the public garbage, we are programed to like garbage. It's no wonder that are community is suffering brothers need to step up and support our women in this cause. I was in the barbershop watching Oprah's town hall meeting and young brother said "Oprah is a pawn for the white man, she's not Hip Hop. Why doesn't she have any rappers on her show." My reply was, "If Oprah had the Ying Yang twins on her show i'd lose respect for her. She is a person we should all look up to and respect for her accomplishments." My point is that this is the mentality of the youth is screwed up, they don't want things to change, our community need some serious healing. Nas was right when he proclaimed Hip Hop dead. A stance needs to be taken on the corporate side for there to be a change.

Love the blog.

HeLeN said this on April 28, 2007 03:55:

Bev,
once
again you've done it! Kudos to you for NAILING this thing in the heart of the matter! While I was reading the responses I found that I'm just a little perturbed by a few of Brother Mark's comments (well some of them anyway) above.
First of all Toni Morrison doesn't make a billion dollars a year writing negatively about black men, black women, or black anything for that matter so she's a far cry from an example.... especially when the period characters in specifically the Color Purple were examples of hard times in a true period of history. I highly doubt Toni Morrison has the financial iand cultural influence to change dozens of cultures all over the world. I also highly doubt the young child killers of Monrovia know by heart passages and excerpts from a Toni Morrison novel. Yet they listen and recite whole heartedly graphic Hip Hop. They probably will never take the time to decipher 'which bitch is which'. And for the last time stop using poverty and malnourished upbringings into the picture as an example of why 'artists' choose to degrade their women. HIP HOP is the only form of music that has this problem with poverty and disrespect. India isn't the richest country in the world but their women are revered. Richard Gere's tail is on the line right now for kissing a Hindi woman in public...on the cheek!!! There is NO excuse for disrespecting the sisters. Mark. I suggest you re-read Bev's blog and then try explaining to 11 and 12 year old girls that these artists you've picked out only refer to CERTAIN women as bitches and hoes. Let's cut the hyper analysis crap. Brothers are going to scape goat this issue...at least til someone calls their mama a bitch or a hoe then it's on! Right!? Wrong! It won't stop til we eliminate the disrespect entirely. Who ever heard of letting a little wrong happen cause it ain't happening to us? That's preposterous! So Howard stern was assailed and grew up to be an on air rascist...How many black people today over 60 were assailed physically and verbally and even today must walk, live, and work amongst the very same race that refused to deal with them as equals only 40 years ago. Yet they manage to be polite (even if it is only to deal with the day for some) and continue to move forward. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR DISRESPECTING ANYONE!!! Black men!!! You shouldn't even be calling SOME women bitches and hoes because some one who doesn't know any better IS going to follow in your footsteps and call the WRONG woman just that! Sisters!!! Be appropriate so the slurs don't come your way via ignorance. Don't give anyone a chance to think it's ok to put you in that category if that's where you may fall. In the famous words of Spike Lee's 'School Daze'....WAKE UP!!!!!

Adelia said this on April 29, 2007 06:40:

Sick Sh*t - what kind of sisters allow that kind of lowest level of demean to happen to them? Talk to them
ask them - there is a whole world of black porn women
now u know.

They are loading up porn sites to make easy money - moral fiber of the black women is weakening at such an alarming rate its' making our heads spin. Some of them - their self- esteem is shot all the way to H*LL! And some clap their *sses on videos for free - no money at all.

Their are many very passive sisters out here - easy prey to extreme sexploitation at its' worst - they accept their position as sl*t and B*tch as well - that would be a major something to research.

Google or Yahoo search "Gangstresses" sorry the name of the producer/interviewer escapes me - he's a Yale graduate - I 'd say he's telling a story of this side of black society we of a certain class do not wish to want to see and deal with - and their reality.

Thanks for letting me express my opinion.

Louis said this on April 29, 2007 16:31:

extremely moving and well written. I have always
had a basic guidance system that steers me away from certain artists & so called representatives of the people & culture. I can't say that I thought the issue through like you have ( for one, I'm not a black woman ), but I am glad to know that my instincts were correct. You
discuss the issue with the right amount of pointed anger, and follow through with an uplifting message - exactly the combination that the great leaders of the ongoing movement have used.

Bryan said this on April 29, 2007 19:47:

I thought of you as soon as the Imus thing went down. Black Girls Rock is clearly needed and YOU did something about it. GO BEV!

Eric L said this on April 30, 2007 20:31:

If I MUS Then We MUS(T)

If we spend the time and energy on reprimanding white industry influencers for perpetuating a negative stereotype of Black women (and we should) then We Mus' as industry folk who are the gate keepers of lyrical and musical content, be more accountable for allowing and supporting the use of these references to be used by some of our own young messengers or even refrain from using them ourselves.

Imus to not create the words "Nappy Headed Ho" he simply made an inappropriate reference that was already been commercially and publically used by our own people in music. film and in theater. In Jest, for real or amongst ourself. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Unfortunately when our people use the same terms in public then it is looked upon as being bonus points for street cred or freedom of expression.

Seems that more often than not, we are part of the problem rather than being part of the solution. Let's stop using Imus as a scapegoat, but rather address the real issues within our own community. It's like the pot calling the kettle black. In this case, the" Nappy headed Ho" pot was boiling over long before Imus even uttered those now famous words.

Mikey Skillz said this on April 30, 2007 21:48:

I just want to applaud you Bev for your strong and powerful words. As a white male from NY who was raised on hip-hop, I feel as if I am part of the problem and part of the solution. I am glad to see our community have this conversation on our own terms. I was concerned that Imus would get too much credit for turning his racist comments against us and that would be the spark for the conversation. This is a conversation a long time coming and one we all need to engage in. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to what I listen to and what I rock to when I am in a club --- I am not sure of the solution and I am not entirely sure where the blame lies, as I feel we all need to be held responsible by ourselves. If we can be honest with ourselves, then maybe we can begin to be honest with each other. I want to inspired and moved by people like you and I look forward to more of your guidance on this issue. Consider me a student. Brooklyn, NY

Aishah said this on May 1, 2007 01:19:

Dear Sister Beverly,
Your "Girls, Let's Have A Meeting" is so on point and right on time! Thank you for writing it.While there are many folks who are rejoicing that Imus was fired, I fear that we may have won a battle but could have *temporarily* lost this relentless racist/sexist war against Black women in the United States. While most eyes were focused on the outcome of Imus' fate, the accused members of the Duke Lacrosse team were exonerated. Very, very tragically, many of the same Black (overwhelmingly male) voices who were demanding the firing of Imus, haven't said a peep about the recent dropping of charges against the accused members of the Duke Lacrosse team. Additionally, in the ongoing mainstream media discussions about Imus calling the predominantly Black women's basketball team at Rutgers University "nappy headed-ho's," there hasn't been any mainstream media correlation/analysis/commentary /discussion about the fact that:

1. Some of the (White) Duke Lacrosse team members called the two (Black) women "niggers" and "bitches";
2. One of the (White) Duke Lacrosse members threatened to rape them with a broomstick;
3. Another (White) Duke Lacrosse team member spoke of hiring strippers in an e-mail sent the same night that threatened to kill "the bitches" and cut off their skin while he ejaculated in his "Duke-issued spandex;" and
4. Another (White) Duke Lacrosse team member shouted to the (Black woman) victim as she left the team's big house, "Hey bitch, thank your grandpa for my nice cotton shirt."

Instead there were subtle and not-so subtle racist implications that hip-hop is the cause of Imus' racist/sexist comments; and that the Black woman stripper/whore (not daughter, not mother, not college student, not sex worker) lied on/set up the innocent White Duke Lacrosse team members (who hired her and her colleague to perform for them).

So, in this very direct way the corporate owned media message to the American public is that Black people, especially Black women, are the perpetrators of violence against White men (and I would argue Black men too).

Based on the overwhelming deafening silence from mainstream Black (predominantly male) 'leaders' and organizations about the documented racist/sexist comments made by the White Duke Lacrosse team members, it's clear to me that no one will speak for us-- Black women--but ourselves. It doesn't matter if you're a rape survivor, a child sexual abuse survivor, a domestic violence survivor, a stripper, a prostitute, a lesbian, a bisexual woman, a heterosexual woman, a single mother (especially with several children from different fathers), on welfare, a high school drop out, college educated, working in corporate America, working at a minimum wage job with no health insurance, or working in the film/music/television entertainment industry. Yes, I placed what some people would view as very different/distinct categories of Black women in the same category because I firmly believe that if any of the aforementioned Black women are at the wrong place at the wrong time (which could be at any time), we, Black women, will be left to heal our very public wounds alone.

I was the young Black woman who in 1989, at 19 years old six weeks shy of my 20th birthday, said "Yes", while on a study abroad program…I was the Black woman who broke the rules of the university where I attended by agreeing to sneak out, after hours, to meet the man who would become my rapist… I was the Black woman who after breaking the university enforced rules started to have second thoughts but was afraid to articulate them and was afraid to turn around because my friends were covering for me… I was the Black woman who paid for the hotel room where I was raped…I was the Black woman who said to my soon-to-become rapist, "I don't want to do this. Please stop." I didn't "violently" fight back. I didn't scream or yell to the top of my lungs" because I was afraid. I didn't want to make a "scene." I blamed myself for saying, "Yes"…for breaking the rules…for paying for the hotel room.

I am one of countless women, regardless of race/ethnicity/national origin, age, sexual orientation, class, religion who experientially learned that the (often unchallenged) punishment for women who use poor judgment with men is rape and other forms of sexual violence. And the reward for those same men who perpetrate the sexual violence that we (victim/survivors) experience is the opportunity to perpetrate again and in turn say "WOMEN LIE."

Leroy champaign said this on May 1, 2007 05:50:

Black girls do rock. It's been to long that we black men have supported the main stream images of black woman. We have not step up to the plate publicly in defense of our Women.

Yes! , hip-hop didn't invent the exploitive images of women but we've done enough to support It.

It's a dam shame it took A white man's negative comment to bring top black male executive's to face responsibility for signing off on video's that held their own Young black women, for to long as sexual objects. allowing their younger counter part's "the Artist" to run wild without educating them.

We are adults now in this mainstream hip-hop culture. Remember we grew up in a time when hip-hop was mostly about being rebellious against a society that did not except us. Creativity was the goal, not Life Style and the sexual conquest of an easy women. We now Have to protect our babies who are very much influence by what they see, as we were as young adults.

Men, listen to our positive, enlightened women. Let's come to their Defense and tell our fellow Young Brothers to love and respect black women.

It take a nation to Rise our village Not IMUS.

EbonyRock86 said this on May 2, 2007 17:23:

You go, girl. This whole thing of us as black women getting degraded is so sickening. I can no longer bear to listen to rap and hip-hop, now a lot of people might get mad at me for saying seeing that i am a young black woman, but im listening to rock music these days, now im not saying that i gave it up entirely, but if i feel like it degrades me i'm not listening to it or supporting the artist, i'm not going to continue to fuel the machine that tears down my self esteem or dignity. And, bev, you continue to enlighten these ignorant people.

Charisse L. said this on May 2, 2007 18:23:

Bev...Well put! I couldn't have said it better!!!

Fetti G said this on May 2, 2007 19:00:

Every morning when I wake up, I am made very aware that i have a battle to fight. In order for us to change our plight in life and for our future generations, we all have to fight our battles. We are under attack from the media, we are under attack from socio-economics, under attack from the police. we are so used to being attacked that we even attack and degrade ourselves. I don't know how many times I've heard Black females refer to themselves as bitches and ho's in jest or fun. There is a difference between words and intentions. I feel the Imus situation is a wonderful distraction and the media spin to blame hip-hop, is a typical move by the enemy. Knowing that our women where systematically raped and our men killed and mammed to instill fear and hopelessness it's easy for me to stay focused on the real issues. Someone is benefiting from our lack of self worth. The United States was built on it. Although it seems that our lives are worth less, in actuality it's quite the opposite.. I'll leave off with a bit of history.

I'm from Houston Texas where the roots of slavery are still very present. Living in New York now I realize that it is not just the shame of the south but the United States as a whole. New Amsterdam (present day New York) was founded by the dutch and swindled from the Native Indians for $24 dollars worth of gold and trinkets. The Dutch where in the business of fur trading. For this they needed a fur trading post to operate from. That fur trading post was built by 11 African slaves, while the Dutch sat back and reaped all the benefits and rewards. This was the economic model that made New York City the thriving bustling city it is even to this day. This is what powered the early stuggling country called america. While they tell you your life is worth nothing, we are worth a whole lot. Why else would you travel across the see, to steal a race of people.

RZA'S STATEMENT-FROM CONTACTMUSIC.COM said this on May 9, 2007 17:57:

"Hip-hop is just unbalanced. Right now, rappers are glorifying their hell. How you gonna tell me it's cool to live in the ghetto? Who wants to live where you got rats, roaches, pissy elevators, shootings, killings, rapings, drug addicts, alcoholics, all in a four block radius? "Now, out of nine Wu-Tang members, seven are felons... We were the problem of our communities, but we never bragged about it. We kept moving on about life. "But right now, these hip-hoppers are stuck on one thing. They stuck on sex and violence and drugs and partying. Life is way more than that. Especially the day after the party ends. When you get the f**k up the next day, what you gonna do?"

Dj Earth 1ne said this on May 9, 2007 19:12:

Bev this is so timely! You said everything that women have been feeling for a very long time. Keep spreading the truth.

Earth

Intelligent Ignorance : Who Runs Hip Hop said this on May 9, 2007 19:29:

Damn... I knew that this Imus situation would open the flood gates of criticism on hip-hop. It's definately taking a beating right now. But, personally, I think it's way over due. Rap has become a modern day minstrel show of repetitive hooks, violence and misogyny. I definately support freedom of speech, but it seems that record companies are only shoving the ignorant side of rap down the throats of the kids that they target (it's not even spoon feeding anymore).

On the heels of getting chewed out by Oprah and friends, Russell Simmons asked the RIAA to place a ban on the words "nigga, ho, and bitch" in music played over the airwaves. This proposal would force rappers to actually change their lyrics and not just use "bleeps or muting" of those words when singles are played on public airwaves. This does not include censorship on actual records.

I actually agree with this move, but for the most part this is already in place. While I commend him for taking that step to ask, it won't happen; and even if it does, it doesn't get to the root of the problem, which is not the artists making the records, but the companies that seek out the artists willing to make these types of records for pay.

The problem isn't the Rich Boy's, 3-6 Mafias, and Young Jeezy's, but rather the Lyor Cohens, Jimmy Iovines, and Tom Silvermans. These are the guys that control the purse and have the real power to make change. They are the ones who pay the black psuedo-moguls, that pay the rappers to rap about illegal and destructive wet dreams. Most of these rappers never lived what they talk about and only do so because they are under pressure to follow trends to make money. If these guys started paying and heavily promoting book worms to make rap records, SAT scores in inner city schools would see a steep surge, and rappers like Jeezy would start rapping about Algebra.....
to read more please go to intellegentignorance.blogspot.com

Cahlil said this on May 9, 2007 21:41:

Yo Bev, glad you put me on to your blog. You obviously did your homework! I hope that through these blogs, Black Girls Rock and any other organizations with intentions on changing (and not just complaining about) these problems can work together so that discussions like these are not just spoken about for a short time and then forgotten, but actually addressed and corrected.

Anonymous said this on May 10, 2007 03:22:

This was a great read, and I like how you recognized the social ills of today regarding Black women, heck all women. It just amazes me how the entertainment industry have this white/black double standard. It's up to us "women" to stand up and make the change. Kudos to you Beverly for starting Black Girls Rock!

Mlle Smith said this on May 11, 2007 06:15:

Thank you for this...I'm tired of the "these are OUR hoes....only we can call them that, not you" attitude among Black men/women.

I'm happy that this ignorant imbecile's remarks brought attention to an even deeper issue within our society. Thank you for touching on this issue...

andre said this on May 11, 2007 16:50:

very brave sister sometimes you have to step in front of a loaded gun

SCRAP DADDY said this on May 12, 2007 01:56:

Scrap Daddy’s Response…
Yo what up Bev!....This yaboy Scrap Daddy Deezy Maleezy hollin atya. First I would like to say that your blog is mos def on point and much respect to all the folks who left a comment, those I agree with and those that I don’t. I give a shot out to Jesus Christ whose story originated in KIMIT, even though what you are about to read may seem contradictory. But, Whatever. Now allow me to wisely wipe off all fingerprints from the ammunition, coolly load 17 into the clip, calmly slide the case into its chamber, lock, load, and bust off my opinion. Now, I know that sounding extremely educated and refinely intelligent seems to be of dire importance when responding to such blogs on the Internet…. but allow me to sit the degrees down and get a little GRIZZLY. Though I know that no doubt there will be some that will label me ignorant, and probably uncivilized…but that’s cool. The revolution isn’t just about being intellectual, but rather it is a collaborative of all emotion, intelligence, talents, spirituality, pain, and experience. All of these things come together in a circular form to cause conscious action that leads to FREEDOM. (All things work together for the good of them that love the LORD…small scrap scripture break, now back to our program) This Freedom is OURS. It is ours to search. It is ours to find. It is OURS to love, groom, and balance. We must TAKE the responsibility to steer ourselves towards its promise by, as our great forefather Malcolm X has stated, ANY means necessary. In this day and age, with topics like this filling the airwaves- we see, that despite Gill Scott Herings’ decree, the revolution will be televised, internetized, radiolized, printized, and even more strangely…comercialised. In this light, from this context…I have something truly different to say….No, not different…because with all this going on I juss feel like I gotta get all revolutionary…..so better yet, I have something truly revolutionary to say-or maybe just real hood and ghetto. O.K…Here goes…..FUCK DON IMUSS!!! Now please allow me a moment to get a more little personal with my response to his response…FUCK YOU don imuss!!! (notice how I took the capitols out of his name) But Wait! I’m Not finished, now I’ll get more broad. FUCK the TOTALLY IGNORANT and RACIST bullshit that you had the nerve to say while you were on the air! FUCK the totally ignorant and RACIST bullshit that you have the nerves to say while your at home, in you car, or on the golf course. FUCK your seemingly pathetic growhood experience in this politically white dominated America that somehow fostered your stupidity, FUCK your short sighted and RACIST fans and friends, personal and business alike, who complain about the WRONGNESS of you termination, and last but not least…FUCK you’re your responsibility dodge-ing, YELLOWBACK, punkassed, COWARDLY response to the repulsive taste of toe jam in your OWN mouth!!!!...Aaaah…I feel better already...I feel, mmmm, liberated. Please pardon my street-ish and uneducated outburst but I felt like I had to get back to the real issue. I had to get to, as India Arie would probably say, the heart of the matter. Don’t get me wrong, I am open, promote, and support all communication, dialogue, and criticism concerning ourselves to better our community. But when that criticism gets too extreme and borderlines on exposing our own socially injected self hatred...I think refocusing is in order. The response of don imus is nothing new nor fresh…it is reflective of the stance concerning our people and our history that the American government and society have taken and made into a old trusty weapon. It is the old RAPIST/RACIST one – two step…as old as the tango, even older in fact. Can you imagine the same aged rebuttal…as the defense lawyer puts his own client on the stand and confidently asks him why he assaulted, beat, strangled, bruised, forced himself onto, into, and brutally raped this woman….this victim. His client shuffles in his seat, scratches his head, recalls his trained response and begins to explain how his victim always dressed so provocatively….how he couldn’t restrain himself from his natural male tendencies because her shirts and her blouses were always cut so low, her cleavage was so inviting, how she obviously wore those tight fitting jeans to invite his adoration, how she routinely flirted with men and gave him “the eye”, and how her short skirt, long legs, and high heels were just too much for a man to bare. FUCK YOU RAPIST!! How dare a jury of her supposed peers read a verdict of not guilty, release the rapist from responsibility and berate the victim. Maybe she shouldn’t dress so provocatively, maybe she is permiscuous, maybe she shouldn’t be friendly, especially in a sick world where many men lack- even a shred of discipline….I don’t know…maybe she craves attention because no-one ever cared, but none of that makes it HER Fault! FUCK YOU Mr. RAPIST!… As the jury,- maybe you could suggest the judge get her a counselor, maybe the jurors could buy her new clothes, maybe she should be appointed a mentor…but you cant attack the victim…and she cant attack herself. The appropriate response is FUCK YOU Mr. RAPIST! You were WRONG! Some little girl is being molested by her uncle, some innocent daughter is being touched or penetrated by her Father and she’s afraid to say something because she’s afraid of this same bullshit response…she thinks its her fault! Maybe her Uncle says that its because everyday she walks by his bedroom door, coming from the shower wearing nothing but a towel. Maybe the father does it based on the fact that she’s his daughter and he feels he has the right –or-- because he feels like he cant control himself based simply on the way GOD made her naturally……beautiful. FUCK YOU RAPIST! YOU are WRONG! For Aisha and all of our brilliant black women I say, FUCK the RACIST/RAPIST DUKE LACROSSE players who strummed this same line of defense and actually got off, while she now gets to be accused as the black woman who justifies their racist thoughts in the first place! FUCK all the uncles who rape their nieces, fuck all the fathers in the world who rape their daughters, fuck all the boyfriends who rape their girlfriends, fuck all the brothers who rape their sisters, fuck all the guys in this filthy existence who rape their dates….and so-FUCK all the RACIST/RAPIST villains who RAPE our people…and FUCK their old ass lame response! We ask:, Why did you forcefully colonize, murder, and disenfranchise our people and rape Africa for it’s natural resources?...the response is, “Oh, it is because YOU were UNCIVILIZED.” We ask:, “Why did you enslave, kill, maim and torture our men, humiliate, desecrate, disrespect and rape our women, sodomize, terrify, hang, and castrate our children? Why did you treat us like utter cattle, like animals?”…and the response is,”Oh, we thought you were ANIMALS because YOU acted and looked like ANIMALS to us. FUCK YOU! You raped me and my people based simply on the way GOD made us NATURALLY-…..BEAUTIFUL. Fuck you Mr. RAPIST/RACIST. YOU ARE WRONG. Fuck You don imus. You were WRONG! And hip hop is still…beautiful….yes, we’ve got work to do, but our expression is yet beautiful. To be honest, from my perspective, I don’t think everyones head Is made to look like squares, but do I think that we should BAN Pablo Piccasso’s Cubist paintings….NO! I don’t think people in general have holes in their bodies where you can see the sky and the clouds behind them, but do I think we should ban Renee Magritte or surrealism…NO! Personally, I don’t believe that our people came from caves so therefore I don’t believe that our psychology should be forced from that perspective…but, do we see America assailing or deliberating banning Plato or “the allegory of the cave”-…NO…actually they built their psychological code on it. They even based the American social and financial system on one of the worlds most arrogant, selfish, and greedy theories of all time, Darwins’ ”survival of the fittest”. Now, I’m not suggesting that we emulate the bewilderment of america but we should embrace hip hop on our own. We should seek to improve hip hop from within our creative clutches. We should feverishly work to acknowledge and maintain the power that we do have…not invite commercialism and the government to do it for us. Which is what will eventually happen down this road were taking. Before we know it everybody and they momma will bombard hip hop for gain, especially if they feel they have our blessing. Every white, hispanic, and black politician will be charging hip hop as one of the worst problems in American history to gain political power. Every dry guy with lame lines will ambush hip hop to get some play. On the cool, McDonalds might even come out with a Ban hip hop burger meal. And we certainly cannot allow the government to get too involved, but if theres any form of censorship, they’ll be nice and comfortably- knee deep in tha mix. We must accept our own responsibilities, with responsibility and care, and not relinquish it into the hands of those who don’t care at all. With no care, it will definitely be taken too far. Its like a woman who gets into an argument with her black male husband and, as things get intense she throws a few things. Then the situation escalates even more and he begins to punch the walls. Noticing that the argument has gotten out of hand, feeling a little intimidated, she wants the scene to cool off so, she calls the police. Plus, they’ll no doubt be on her side and force him to relax. But when they get to the scene and they attempt to calm him down by force- he resists. As he refuses to cooperate, assume the position, nor get handcuffed…they shoot him dead. As the wife witnesses this heinous act she screams, “You took it too far, I only wanted you to calm him down! But the cops don’t care. They proceed to fill out the paper work and describe how they were in fear of their lives in the presence of this angry black male; and how they mistook the vase in his hand for a gun. Yes, even his murder was HIS fault. He should have been holding something a bit more distinguishable from a gun. Even though it’s an imaginary story, things like this happen all the time in this country.
So, don imus says something RACIST, gets in trouble for it, redirects his discipline toward us, and instantly were having some of us to support banning hip hop! Which is, in its most embryonic state, banning EXPRESSION. It is our expression. It is OUR own wonderful creation of rhythm and language and it is a part of OUR revolution. Now I’m not trying to hide HIP HOP behind some veil of innocence either. I openly admit that hip hop has a problem or better yet -hip hop has problems. And honestly, it takes this type of dialogue and discussion to help guide it to its true destiny….so please don’t throw me in the box of unconsciousness….Yes, hip hop needs change. Aaaah, listen to the sound of it, CHANGE. A powerful word indeed. It is the one word definition of revolution. Yes, hip hop needs change, society needs change, our generational communication between the old and the young need change, our black male/black female relation and communication need change and WE are the ones to change it. My point is, that it is OUR job to always work toward our betterment. We should need to rely on some white mans controversy to spark conversation that turns into self ridicule- because the discussion isn’t sparked by care and the intention is not true refinement. We need don imus to make racist remarks about our black women to know that there is a problem with hip hop just as much as we need a group of young white boys to ambush, besiege, tie James Byrd around his throat to a trucks’ bumber, and drag him to his death, to know that there is a problem with america.. So don imus says something stupid and suddenly were having discussions about BANNING HIP HOP! The power to change hip hop is in OUR hands!...TAKE IT and do with it as YOU MUST! There are MANY independent RECORD COMPANIES out there making CONSCIOUS music….these companies are struggling to sell a few COPIES! Why?...BECUASE PEOPLE ARENT BUYING IT! Where are all the people that DEMAND quality music to be made then? MANY artists are out there with POSITIVE messages and QUALITY MUSIC…but what are their names? How come you don’t know who DIVINE is? Why don’t you know who the A-Alikes are? Why don’t you know who the LOWER LEVEL is? CREDO CLAY? NIMROD? Tha TEEZO? Sentence Playwrite? ST. James? Fetti G? J- JONES? Why don’t you know who SCRAP DADDY is? Or PUGILIST RECORDS? YOU have THAT POWER! We have that POWER….USE IT. If you have a couple of dollars in your purse or wallet…YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE HIP HOP! Why is M1’s solo album not TRIPLE PLAT? Why has DEAD PREZ never went PLAT? Why is BAZZARE ROYALE not a platinum artist? Why is MOS DEF and TALIB not sharing the type of musical success as 50 Cent or Young Geezy? I’ll tell you why….PEOPLE ARENT BUYING IT! Or at least not at the same rate. Go buy Scrap Daddy’s and Bazzare Royales, “LONG WALK HOME” album! BUY WILL WREK 4 FOOD! Buy REVOLUTION/EVOLUTION! BUY Pugilist Records, “NEVAGIVUP”! Buy STIC MAN and the OUTAWZ new album! Buy M1’s, “CONFIDENTIAL” album! Support NAS! You wanna change hip hop? You wanna expand Beverly Bonds’ and every other DJ’s crates with Quality music? Spend your MONEY! Dance to a positive song! When DJ’s do play positive songs, everybody just stands around…..USE your power! Take your power, use it, and don’t turn it over into the hands of the undeserving. WHITE MEN run HIP HOP because WHITE men are profiting from BLACK EXPRESSION. One responder said that she now listens to Rock and Roll because of the problems of hip hop…I got news for you…we created Rock and Roll…it was also a creativity of OUR expression. So just know, when we leave hip hop- and go to something else…they’ll still make money from it. And black people of later generations will think that it is “white” and feel the need to explain “why” they listen to it. I’m not mad at you sistah, listen to what you want to listen to..that is also your choice. I like Rock and Roll too. We should all have the choice to listen to whatever we please…but what will you choose? And to my sistah from Africa, theres something I must say. Though I am an African American, and I am from tha hood (South Park, Clutch City, H-Tine, TX to be exact) I am writing this response from Africa. I have been LIVING here for a while, no, not on a vacation. So I have seen the truths past the tourist presentations. I’ve seen the traditional dancing as well, and much of it looks a lot like the ass clapping, boudie shaking dances seen in the clubs and videos’, its just seen from a different perspective. And if you know anything about poverty, then you would also know that poverty is environmental and relational as well. So, just as it has many different levels it also has many different experiences. It is just simply an un-informed statement to imply that “true poverty” does not exist in america. The truth is- theres much for our people, ON A WHOLE, to work on. I have found that just as we African Americans suffer from psychological and social problems that spawn from our experience with American slavery…so does Africa suffer from psychological and social problems that spawn from the history of colonization. Our people are suffering…we cannot afford the luxury of compartmentalizing and ridiculing portions of ourselves while secretly ignoring our complete issues. You expound on how African American culture and hip hop appall you so, and how you’ve never witnessed such displays of self hatred and disrespect of black women. But I cant imagine how you haven’t when I look at the news here in Africa and they are debating if, rather or not, women are naturally born smart or intelligent enough to compete for important positions in the African workforce. I’ve learned that here in Africa most countries don’t even have any spousal abuse laws because most men feel that having the freedom to beat their wives is a God given rite. When I first got here, in Africa, one of the first issues that caught my attention was that many women are being murdered by their own families, without punishment, simply for refusing to marry the man that their family chose, possibly based on financial and business reasons. One girl was stoned to death by her brother because she refused to marry the chosen man …….. she felt like he was too old for her. I don’t see how all this happens here, in Africa, and you are so drawnback by African American culture and hip hop. I don’t know how you missed the issue of self hatred and violence in Sierra Leone in the 90’s nor in the attempts at genocide in Sudan, neither in the civil wars of Liberia, Rwanda, or the bloodshed between Egypt and Somalia. So you hate, and don’t think its fair that when you travel to places you have to “teach” others about the African American culture and experience, and seemingly how this should not be your burden. Allow me to ask you a question…..Do you think that we, as African Americans enjoy the idea that somehow our forefathers were captured, sold into slavery, put in the dungeons of ships to take this journey to america as slaves, …in most cases with the assistance of our African ancestors? Given that FACT, do you think that I have always enjoyed trying to “teach” myself African culture? Do you believe that we enjoy that everytime we go somewhere were supposed to “teach” others about African history, culture, and belief? Do you think that I delight in the ideal of having to prove to white people on a daily basis that we are wise and capable of intelligence, simply because they don’t believe that African people are? Therefore, to them, why should people of African descent be intelligent. Do you think that we luxuriate in the thought that we have to PROVE to others that we are trustworthy, because others know that we had our own hand in our oppressive enslavement of our own people. Do you think that I find pleasure in the fact that I have to “teach” people that just because I am of African descent, and am a spiritual person, that I am not into voodoo and that just because we shout and speak in tongues in Southern churches, the females are not practicing some type of inherent witchcraft? Do you think that I will take pleasure in having to explain to my black brothers and sistahs when I get home that most Africans don’t even see them as black. That after all of the suffering, death, and oppression that we have experienced at the hands of white people, in Africa, in the place that we call our motherland we are called…the WHITE man. After all of the struggle, fighting, and “teaching” that we have done to simply be called, AFRICAN American. Do you think that I will enjoy having to “teach” my light skinned brothers and sistahs that in some parts of Africa they are not seen as really anything? That the possibility that some white man violently raped a slave woman is not even sympathetic to some. That maybe some white person and some black person had sex and created something unkown, “ created some animal that was neither donkey nor horse, as one African man that I actually respect, so eloquently put it. Do you think that I enjoy having to explain to people that Africans don’t lay around all day with flies sitting on their lips and eyebrows…and that there is actually FOOD in Africa. Do you think that I enjoy having to “teach” others that Africans are not dirty people who run around with no clothes on just because that’s all they show on television in america? The answer to all of these questions is…..YES!! Is it always a pleasure?…no…but do I relish it, should we bathe in this “teaching”?, YES. It is an essential part of our growth as a people. As a UNITED people. It is truly an international problem being that we were dispersed throughout the globe during the slave trade. Our problems are in the U.K, Brazil, South America, Jamaica, and many other places throughout the African diaspora, and like it or not- we African Americans are a part of it….there is work to do. And WE MUST DO IT. We are doing a great service to revolution when we explain african culture and misrepresentations of it to others. My African Sistah, you are doing a great service to freedom when you “teach” about any of our people in the African diaspora. We have that RESPONSIBILITY…..to teach, to explain, to shed light. Though it may seem like a burden, it is a GOD given PRIVILEDGE. Because ALL things will work TOGETHER for our GOOD. I love Africa and I love you my African sistah. And please Sistah HeLeN, Don’t attack Bro. Mark too much. He wasn’t trying to bring disgrace on Toni Morrison . He was simply trying acknowledge that there is also a great deal of mistreatment of black men from black women and some forms of their preferred expressions. These “mistreatments” pretty much go un-discussed within our communities. Some of these mistreatments are promoted and supported by American governmental systems that may even financially reward those black women who actively participate in the destruction of the black male species. Many black women are rewarded for the promotion of feminine qualities and passivity in their male children to help change the black male psyche. These strategies usually go undiscussed at all, because we as black men are supposed to be so “tough” and impervious to pain. So “hardcore” that a lot of us are afraid and ashamed to admit that we are bruised to our own black female counterparts. We begin to believe that it is our problem, that we have to “handle it ourselves”, and that maybe, for priviledge and comfort, our women have joined with the enemy to plot our destruction. Its not true, but the white man is calling them strongly. Secretly, many white males lust and dream of our amazingly lovely black women- and plan on how they can have them all to themselves. Many prominent white men travel to Africa and all over the globe, spending huge sums of money to have sexual experiences with our women….ironically, even our men. As black men we must establish ourselves as men…..as protectors of our women and childrens lives’, as providers of their well being, as soldiers in safety of their hearts, as gangtas in the protection of their Turf, lands, and dwelling places, as conquerors and WARRIORS of their FREEDOM. I belong to an organization called, EMINENT PUGILISTS, our decree is to be, at once, soldiers, gangstas, and warriors for the enrichment and provision of our people around the globe. For many of our black men must make these types of decrees and set these types of convictions in THIS day and age. We have had many great black men to lead us to here…we must now pick up the cross and make our portion of the journey (pick up your cross and follow me, another quick scripture)…though the crowd may spit on us and throw stones.. to carry our cross is to complete our mission and to gain our seats at the side of our father. We ask the black womans forgiveness that we were not able to protect them and our children from the clutches of the atlantic slave trade. We pray that she would overstand that we were also victims of it. Yes, there is much to do, and we must work while it is yet day…TOGETHER. Please, this is not a situation that black women have to, “take into their own hands”, theres been too much of that between us already. We must depend on one another, and we should each accept the responsibility to succeed in that responsibility on a whole. I once had the GOD given opportunity to meet Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmicheal) and hear him give a lecture at Howard University…. he said that he commonly hears that white people in power refer to us as “brush fire people”…being that brush fires can burn much ground and cause much flame in a given situation but they eventually put themselves out and can be efficiently managed. Saying that we, as a people, can cause much stir and bang much commotion about a hot or controversial topic concerning ourselves but that we eventually burn ourselves out. And that we actually cause little worry to established power systems because we can be easily manipulated. Let us not be that type of people, because we are not that type of people. Let us make our consciousness a constant ambition. Kwame Ture also said that night, that the job of the conscious was to make the unconscious, conscious and that the unconscious believe that- if you tell one lie a million times it would destroy the truth….but that the conscious believe that if you tell ONE truth, ONE time…it will destroy a million lies. What do you believe? Me personally, I love hip hop. What up Showtime? What up BZ? Steady? I’ll C- Cack SOON…..till then Stay GRINDING. GOD Bless…and Bev, tell Sways friend she don’t need anger management for that, he deserved it. PEACE …EPG4LIFE!!

Kamillah said this on May 18, 2007 03:19:

The problem that I perceive seems to begin with a basic sense of integrity. There are three points of which I measure whether I not I should do or not do something. Does it go against my faith? Would I like or appreciate it if it was done or said to me? Does it bring me shame to share that I have said or done it? It seemed that even when I was watching Common responding to a woman in Oprah's audience that he was far more concerned that the critque was "said in love" more than anything else. Well, yes everything should be said in love, but the fact of the matter is often times the truth hurts especially when the truth reflects that one has hurt, disrespected, demeaned and all out wronged someone else without cause or provocation. I am concerned that many black men do not seem to draw a parallel between "those bitches" out there who they are speaking/rapping about and their own mothers, sisters, girlfriends or wives who they go home to, make love to, spend time with, money on and overall spend their lives with. I'm concerned that we are raising men who because they can not or have not been given the tools to...seem to work out their fustrations, hurts, woes and sorrows in word or deed on those who have nurtured, cared for, raised and loved them. I understand that "hurting people hurt people," but that just can't be the pat answer for what is being said and shown about black women in rap music and videos. I am a fan of hip-hop a devout fan, but even the mere fact that I have to say that means that I feel that I have to in some way protect or authenticate myself with this caveat so that I am not accused of being a "hater of rap" (or black men for that matter - my father was a great man and father and my brother is just as magnificent) or ignorant of the fact that all rap isn't bad - a lot is good. I am concerned that some black men believe that any critique of rap is some kind of a determined vendetta against them as opposed to just what it is...I don't know...I'm reminded a bit of what Alice Walker experienced when Color Purple was released on the big screen...

elaine said this on May 20, 2007 02:59:

I am so tired of these videos. I believe it starts at home. Men need to stop screwing everything and be there and provide for their kids. And I am not talking about weekend visits to the barber shop. We need to bring it back to the church. Instill that faith early. Devote the time and energy into their education. Our children will be making decisions for us when we can not walk. We need to figure out how we are going to come together to save ourselves.

Joy said this on May 23, 2007 00:07:

In 2007 this is the blatant racism that we as Black women face and it will continue until the message is sent that it is not acceptable. It is very hurtful that this continues in a world where we as Black people, we have so much influence on the world as a whole. American television and radio is heard universally and this is not what we want the world to think Black women are...We are queeens, the mothers' of civilization....as a young woman in this time and day...I strive to prove that we are not hoes, bitches, and every other negative term...we all must strive to show the world who we trully are....

TARA GIRL said this on May 30, 2007 09:29:

Mz Bond!
Fantastic meeting you at the Black Lily Film & Music Festival...After hearing you speak at the Women in Music panel, I have finally taken the time to carefully read this blog you mentioned.

It is well-written, on point, timely and unapologetic in its delivery - I THANK YOU (as every knowing woman should).

What I most love is how specific your examples are. You do point the finger and not in blame of one person/people or one instance - although simultaneously you don't shy away from using actual names - and you're 110% CORRECT. Hypocrisy needs to be checked. Men criticizing women for speaking out in defense of women need to be checked. And the reality of what's happening in our communities - especially our youth - needs to be addressed with real and constructive solutions, NOT more negativity or avoidance.

From a music industry standpoint, the sweet part for me was:

"They have the power to determine who is signed, what is heard, and what children are exposed to, yet they don't even acknowledge the conscience side of hip-hop and they make no effort to create balance."

And ya know what? That is the real crime of these music industry executives. They are the gatekeepers to what the broad listening society has access to, and instead of serving up diverse, interesting, creative music which DOES have the potential to have commercial appeal, they too often release dumbed down, uninteresting, and homogenous "hits" that are a dime a dozen. Talk about uninspiring.

Thanks for calling attention to a number of important issues and verbalizing them with common sense and clarity. We need to get you a bullhorn so the world can hear YOUR VOICE and the voice of smart, beautiful women everywhere who deserve better.

Your sis,
taragirl

TARA GIRL said this on May 30, 2007 09:29:

Mz Bond!
Fantastic meeting you at the Black Lily Film & Music Festival...After hearing you speak at the Women in Music panel, I have finally taken the time to carefully read this blog you mentioned.

It is well-written, on point, timely and unapologetic in its delivery - I THANK YOU (as every knowing woman should).

What I most love is how specific your examples are. You do point the finger and not in blame of one person/people or one instance - although simultaneously you don't shy away from using actual names - and you're 110% CORRECT. Hypocrisy needs to be checked. Men criticizing women for speaking out in defense of women need to be checked. And the reality of what's happening in our communities - especially our youth - needs to be addressed with real and constructive solutions, NOT more negativity or avoidance.

From a music industry standpoint, the sweet part for me was:

"They have the power to determine who is signed, what is heard, and what children are exposed to, yet they don't even acknowledge the conscience side of hip-hop and they make no effort to create balance."

And ya know what? That is the real crime of these music industry executives. They are the gatekeepers to what the broad listening society has access to, and instead of serving up diverse, interesting, creative music which DOES have the potential to have commercial appeal, they too often release dumbed down, uninteresting, and homogenous "hits" that are a dime a dozen. Talk about uninspiring.

Thanks for calling attention to a number of important issues and verbalizing them with common sense and clarity. We need to get you a bullhorn so the world can hear YOUR VOICE and the voice of smart, beautiful women everywhere who deserve better.

Your sis,
taragirl

PHAYME said this on June 11, 2007 17:29:

Bev, this is on point on so many levls- as I'm sure you already know. I have been preaching this for years, but encountered the same dumb excuses by so many people. The issue of black men calling black women derogatory names and black women even tolerating it I believe is a much deeper psycho-social issue that exists in our community...namely low self-esteem and lack of respect for self and each other. Sadly, the indocrination of self hate starts so early in the african american child's life (being called nappy headed, big nose, ugly etc.) that by the time we become adults we've internalized and accepted it as truth. But now its time for it to stop. Until we as black women say enough is enough and lead the human race out of darkness the madness will continue. One way we can stop this is to support the careers of more underground female emcees that address real issues so that these views are heard in a format the hip hop community will digest.

PHAYME
www.myspace.com/phayme

shuggs said this on June 12, 2007 14:52:

We don't have these kinds of discussions very often in the Uk, we are way to busy trying to show the rest of the world how "Multicultural" we are and the...(which as far as i am concerned will never true be until we as black people here empower ourselves) and the plight of black men which i do not relegate to a non issue but HELLO! WE SUFFER TO!...i thank you for writting this and intend to forward this to all the black females i know in the hope that they too will spread the word and understand the importance of black women SUPPORTING EACH OTHER AND BUILDING A SOLID SISTERHOOD WORLWIDE, paraphrasing Ghandi "we must be the change we want to see". Until this is done things will get worse and the patriarchal powers that be both our own and on the outside will continue to feel it is their right to rule and define us...forgetting as one post said we are the "mothers of civilization".
Peace, Shuggsxxx

Opal said this on June 13, 2007 18:15:

way to break it down!

jamilah said this on June 26, 2007 06:02:

before i begin to comment on the diversion of imus, i will say this- for shawn carter and russell simmons to do psa's on the call for anti-semitism is a bit interesting, because (a. i have yet to hear of them do a psa for the liberation of black peoople around the globe, and (b. the origins of semetic people were from africa and asia. we depend too much on european-emphasized eduacation to inform us of the origins of people.. and carter and simmons depend too much on photo ops and cash. i am not denying any sort of good deeds they may do (and i actually like some of hov's stuff) but they need to be open to critique too...------------------------------alright. to me, don imus is a diversion from the actual issues of opression as a whole. we are a society that loves diversions, simply because we hate to focus on issues of accountability. so, he and the producer (whose name i cannot recall) looked at these certain black women as nappy headed hos and jigaboos, but so have the rest of the media organisations (black owned and promoted as well) when there is an extreme lack of representation of women with 'naturals'. in advertisements, the men can be dark; they are deemed cool (albeit exotic still)- miles davis was the king of cool, don cheadle is the king of emotion, tyrese is the talented vocalist- all of these men are on the darker end of the spectrum. THIS IS WONDERFUL TO SEE. however.... THIS IS PART OF A LARGER-SCALE ISSUE, the mysogyny that has infiltrated the black psyche, as we constantly attempt to assimilate into a society that in turn does not want us. whenever you do see black men in media, they are usually represented by various shades. from al b. sure! to heavy d to harry belafante to john legend to t.i. to big daddy kane to 50 cent, men run the gamut in shades and features. when asked who the ideal female is, the answer usually tends to favor the lighter woman with more 'european' features. beyonce knowles,halle berry, dorothy dandridge... there was many a blues song that mentioned, "don't want no bald headed woman, i want long, wavy hair"...------------------------------------------------oprah winfrey, i think she was too soft on the issue, it simply perpetuated, to me, that diversion that the media loves to keep us complacent with. i mean, in the part i saw, how could she gush over common (who i actually really like), saying "i think you're a poet", when he wasn't really saying anything profound to critique the state of music. or maybe i missed something. he uses the dreaded 'n word' at least 15 times on every album, as well as the word 'bitch'. so what makes him more of a 'poet' than 50 cent? the fine line between them both is that variety. both of them are ultimately part of the same system of capitalistic enterprise. one just decides to use it more for pushing his own career.------------------on a whole different note, oprah winfrey decided to take the girls from the school she funded to see THE LION KING in johannesburg, south africa! HELLO!??? come ON, oprah!!! this is what i am talking about??? how are we ever going to be liberated as african people if we continue to be desensitized by the colonial viewpoint of africa!??-----------------------------------------ANYWAYS, i have not seen any of the television programmes mentioned in the blog (nor have i heard the three 6 mafia song in its entirety), but i definately see the point. lest we forget, women rang out like a chorus to "it ain't no fun" by snoop doggy dogg (doggystyle and the chronic was the point i became less interested in hip hop, that was the last straw) and 'put it in your mouth' by akinyele. the fetishization of prostitution is confounding to me, as i've known several sex workers in my life, and i don't recall any of them claiming it to be glamourous. there's just so many women that do it in order to cover various expenses, like SCHOOLING, CHILDREN AND HOUSING. the women who go backstage simply for sex, i am not sure what the appeal is, when the men (predominately) just talk about you disrespectfully. ------------------------------------------------and you are right- oprah winfrey is the richest woman on this planet. and because she is, she should utilize it the right way. to me, she is not utilizing in a way that can liberate us. she has publically disregarded young black people (particularly males) in this country, by stating they don't want help. i mean, does someone have to TELL you they want help in words before you believe them? oprah winfrey DOES NOT have to be what many peoples' perception of 'hip hop' is in order to speak to hip hop. but to me, her emphasis should be on reaching the black youth, to guide them towards a stronger, more just definition of what africa represents. she needs to look at injustice to black people GLOBALLY. she has to recognize what has been done to us in this country, because it has been done to her. it should be possible for the kids in africa to make connections with the kids here, and here as the gateway. to me, this IS hip hop. that global connection with the essence. this is what afrika bambaataa represented, AND through the zulu nation was VERY inclusive of women.------------------------if we take the example of the zulu nation or the temple of hip hop; with the connection between mind and body, we'd better be able to communicate and make those connections, thus having a VARIETY of thoughts and experiences, where women would play a significant part.------------------------------------------------------------------------oh, something else... if you do a little homework for the CHAIN HANG LOW song, you will find out that the original lyrics to the song are about a man named ZIP COON... let us take a look at those connections, shall we?----------this whole thing is bigger than don imus. it is bigger than the state of music. they are definately part of the larger dialogue of the social signifiers/intersection of race, class and gender.

Malik Yoba said this on July 3, 2007 19:02:

Good stuff mama!! Problems and solutions and the participation thereof have one thing in common, you're either in it or in the way. Through taking action like what you are doing with Black Girls Rock and your blog you are "in it". Im proud of you and appreciate your skills as a writer. And since we go back to your "fashion days" its great to see your growth as a human being if I can be so bold to say :)

Malik Yoba said this on July 3, 2007 19:02:

Good stuff mama!! Problems and solutions and the participation thereof have one thing in common, you're either in it or in the way. Through taking action like what you are doing with Black Girls Rock and your blog you are "in it". Im proud of you and appreciate your skills as a writer. And since we go back to your "fashion days" its great to see your growth as a human being if I can be so bold to say :)

Malik Yoba said this on July 3, 2007 19:02:

Good stuff mama!! Problems and solutions and the participation thereof have one thing in common, you're either in it or in the way. Through taking action like what you are doing with Black Girls Rock and your blog you are "in it". Im proud of you and appreciate your skills as a writer. And since we go back to your "fashion days" its great to see your growth as a human being if I can be so bold to say :)

Mena said this on July 23, 2007 23:35:

I don't think this is off topic, so I am posting it here, I hope you'll read it and comment. thnx.

Journal Entry for Today:
I just had to write about this cuz it gets on my black ass nerves that men of practically every race think its O.K. to touch, fondle, comment, whistle, stare at when we walk by and touch black women. I dunno how many times I have asked my self, would this muthaf*cka have the nerve to do or SAY this if I were white? My answer is always no, they'd be scared of some RE-action to their actions, legal action. But I guess all you can get from a black woman is a good cursing out. Well, my place got flooded, we all know this, and so the 'janitor' guy comes by day after day to help clean it up and shows all the sympathy and 'support' in the world. Low an behold this bastard starts making advances at me, 1st with the typical line ' wher you from'? Where the f*ck you think i'm from, from here, wish I could say the same about you! Then he starts getting closer to me, so i casually pick up my 12 inch long shears and kindly warn him to back off. This doesn't appear to scare him. So Thank God for my dog "Ugly bastard" , he's quite afraid of ugly (hell who could blame him!). But this guy tried to follow me inside after being turned down for dinner. He even had the balls to suggest i cook him something, what the fuck? At this point i'm boiling like grandma's pressure cooker. I wanted to knife him so bad, so i kindly warned him again not to follow me into my place or he would get stabbed with no mercy. Hm, my granny used to always keep a blade with her, a good rusty one, it had to be rsuty so you could wound AND infect any asshole trying to attack you.

One summer in italy i was trying to locate trevi fountain, I spoke nada italian and despite being a solo traveler i felt impowered and happy to have finally went there and see the sites. Low and behold, another asshole, with the pretense of being some suave romantic guy hands me a flower, and as i reach in to accept the kind gesture this fucker put his hand on my ass! and I don;t mean a light pat, i'm talking FULL grab, and as you can see from my pics, thats a lot of ass! I was more embarassed than anything, and cursed him in very poor italian and walked away. Same trip, different man, finally i find the trevi fountain, with his 'help' and the guy stalks me the whole time i'm at the spot. Mind you 5 pm, in the heat of summer, still LOTS of sunlight and LOTS of tourists around, and fuckin carabinieri, this guy starts reaching into my shorts, and i'm like wtf? Back the fuck up, just cuz you showed me how to find the damn artifact doesn't give you a free ride up my drawers! Out in broad daylight and no one said a word. In retrospect I am sure they thought it was 'wanted', just as reatrdly as some guy told me ( another italian) that if a woman dress in a certain way she is asking for rape. I coulda knifed him too, not for me, but for all those who actually HAVE been raped. As a woman I am free to wear whatever the hell i want and not have to hide my body parts because some MAN will get aroused. I should be able to go for a jog, in close fitting jogging gear so that my body can STRETCH ad not get lost in tons of heavy fabric and not fear being gropped on the street. That brings me to the other mexican guy, riding behind me on a bike while I was jogging. Ok, Retarded fellas, this one is for you, if i don;t answer your whistling, if i don't respond to the hey baby or if I don;t even make eye contact when you are right next to me, Damn, I ain;t interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you get it? Please get it, or get mased or knifed! This guy mind you spoke no english, but enough to tell me it would only take 5 minutes for us to have sex, thank god i learned italian and could understand his spanish. He quite seriously asked me to have sex with him in some alley, I was disgusted. And I simply asked him " do i look like i want to have sesso?" and he said quite frankly, yes. I had to think, and think hard, hmmmm, Mena what are you 'wearing' that would make him say that? Black yoga pants and a t shirt and sports bra, and gym shoes, atheltic gear. Ok its tight, but not skimpy, i've seen short shorts on joggers that make a gal get camel toe. On