http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/ A day in the life of NYC celebrity DJ Beverly Bond. en Copyright 2008 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:37:26 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Where My Dogs At? depicted Black women as “bitches”…literally. In it, a look-alike of rap star Snoop Dogg strolls into a pet shop with two scantily-clad Black women with dark skin and afro puffs, tethered to leashes, walking on all fours, and scratching themselves as he orders one of them to, "Hand me my latte!" The scene ends with the women/"bitches” pissing and defecating on the floor. On the popular HBO series Entourage, a group of Black women dressed in summer attire attend a daytime party for resident rap artist, Saigon, in a hotel suite. In the scene the girls get on an elevator, get off an elevator, and simply walk into the party. At the end of the episode the credits for these girls read ‘Video Ho 1 thru Video Ho 4’. (There was no video nor did these women participate in ‘ho-ish behavior’). In the same episode a White woman meets the lead character, Vince, at lunch and ends up having sex with him within a few hours in a store dressing room then later finishing up at a hotel. However, at the end of the episode the credits for her role read ‘Woman’. On a different episode of the same show one of the lead characters used the terminology ‘video hoes’ when referring to two black women. The mother of that character then referred to those same black women as ‘ANIMALS’. On a recent episode of The Apprentice Donald Trump was so offended by one of the contestants’ use of the deplorable term “white trash” that he fired him on the spot. He then turned around and gave the winning team a chance to hang out with his “good friend” Snoop “bitches ain’t shit but hoes-n-tricks” Dogg; a mixed message to send especially after just firing someone for offensive and disrespectful language towards Whites. In 2006 when the Academy Awards gave out an Oscar for the song “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” (written by Three 6 Mafia) many Black women felt like it was a message to the Black community to “Keep pimpin’ them hoes! “ This “Imus situation” is the tipping point for a problem that has been invisible while in plain sight. There is an existing climate that devalues and dehumanizes Black women and allows all types of stereotypes, insults, and disrespect to go unchecked and without any repercussions. Eminem certainly didn’t fear any backlash when he wrote a song early in his career disrespecting Black women. But by far the worst insults that Black women endure daily are actually from our own community -mostly in the form of entertainment and even more specifically hip-hop. Young Black girls and Black women are and have been insulted and assaulted for years by offensive and abusive images and word that have been hacking away at the self esteem of our women in the most subliminal of ways. The first step to fixing a problem is first admitting that there is one. That is exactly what happened on a recent episode of the ‘Oprah Winfrey’ show when she held a forum on Hip-Hop & Don Imus’ comments. Music exec Kevin Lyles, rapper Common, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, and music mogul Russell Simmons all admitted (after some coaxing from O) that they recognize there is a problem with misogyny in hip-hop. Perhaps moguls like Russell should put the same kind of effort and support behind this issue like those he and Jay Z put forth for the Jewish community. A few months back Russell Simmons and Jay Z decided to use their combined power to STAND UP for Jewish rights and do a Public Service Announcement speaking out against anti-Semitism. They stated in a series of commercials (which played frequently on BET and other stations) that they believed it wrong to make racial slurs against Jews ….Now yes - we all know anti-Semitism is WRONG, and while I applaud their “we are the world” attitude, Are racial slurs against Jews any more inexcusable, hideous, repulsive, and appalling to these Black hip-hop music moguls than the many degrading and misogynistic slurs against Black women or the Black-on-Black violence that exists in Hip Hop? And what about “Little Timmy”!? On the same episode of ‘Oprah’ Kevin Lyles heavily deflected the issue regarding the disrespect of young Black women in hip-hop and seemed to be more concerned with his rise “from intern to president” and the well being of ‘Little Timmy’-his son’s white playmate and Timmy’s assimilation into oneness (seeing no color) via hip-hop. The “Little Timmy Syndrome” may be a problem with why many hip-hop execs have trouble weighing in on this issue. Perhaps their economic status has them too far removed from the pressing social issues that concern the Black community. Instead of praising Lil’ Timmy for his assimilation into our culture shouldn’t we be thinking of ways to nurture little Lil’ Shaniqua and Lil’ Jamal so that they can uphold our culture? Corporate record executives and radio programmers are (as Rhymefest says) “POVERTY PIMPS” who do not care about the advancement of Black people....not even the Black ones. If they did someone would have taken the lead on this issue before it blew up in their faces. 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. BLACK YOUTH ARE IN CRISIS. There is a looming state of emergency in effect that exists in the inner cities of the US concerning young people of color. African-American females between the ages of 12 and 25 are now leading the nation in all new cases of HIV infections. The many negative images portraying women of color as objects with little worth beyond their physical attributes has actively affected the way many of our young girls view themselves today. Unfortunately many people still do not want to admit that there is any correlation between the images/words on TV and radio and the decline of our youth. Some see speaking out in the defense of Black women and girls as an attack on hip-hop. Those Black people that don’t want to admit that there is a problem are a part of the problem; much like the slaves who questioned, “Why we need to leave Massa’s house?” once slavery was abolished. The issue is about QUALITY not CENSORSHIP. When Dead Prez said, ‘Turn Off The Radio!” those of us looking for better quality hip-hop understood. When Nas said “Hip Hop Is Dead!” those of us longing for better quality hip-hop understood. Certainly misogyny didn’t start with hip-hop but hip-hop wasn’t always this misogynistic either. There are BITCHES! There are BITCH-ASS DUDES too! There are HOES -MALE AND FEMALE. Sometimes rappers/artist MUST write about the ugly truths that exist in their realities and they should have the artistic freedom to do so. Sometimes certain songs, as inappropriate as they may appear to some, are humorous to others, -but the over-saturation of this one-sided view of women in general is an unfair misrepresentation of all women and a dangerous message to send to our youth. ‘Bubble-Gum’ nursery rhyming rappers (who seem to be dominating the airwaves right now) look for easy targets like… PICKING ON GIRLS. I’m surprised at how many MEN –intellects and idiots alike, are speaking out against Oprah saying that she had no right to speak out on this issue because she is not “hip-hop”. Let’s make this clear. YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE IN “HIP-HOP” TO SPEAK OUT ON THE DISRESPECT OF BLACK WOMEN- AS A BLACK WOMAN. PERIOD!!.... Especially someone like Oprah (THE RICHEST WOMAN IN AMERICA) who is using her platform, power, and far-reaching Long-Arm-Of-Publicity to HELP! If Oprah can’t speak out on this topic, her male critics themselves have also forfeited their rights to speak out on the same topic because they are not WOMEN. The disrespect of Oprah is yet another example of how Black women are disrespected within the Black community. Oprah reaches out to help and gets backlash. R. Kelly (the self proclaimed Pied Piper) pisses on underage girls and then comes back on the remix of ‘Make It Rain’ singing, “Don’t ask me what my name is/ Stupid Bitch I’m famous” and gets praised. Louis Farrakhan said at the Million Man March to his many opponents “I don’t need you to validate me. My people validate me!” Ladies! This is an issue that we are going have to take the lead on ourselves. Russell Simmons advised, “Those who know better should do better”. As a woman whose career is built in Hip-Hop I can’t turn a blind eye to what I see. Last year I founded ‘BLACK GIRLS ROCK!’ blackgirlsrockinc.com a non-profit female youth empowerment organization as a reaction to the negative images of Black women in media. Empowerment begins with self-love and self-respect, not just individual respect but respect of your people, YOUR CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY, YOUR HISTOY, and YOUR community as a whole. Just because we have been given a rope it doesn’t mean we have to hang ourselves with it! Black Women Are The Mothers Of Civilization!! (As Sean Price would say) “RESPECONIZE!” “We Started This Sh#t -And This The Mutha- Fu**In’ Thanks We Get!?” Beverly Bond *Heavy Hitters*- NYC ]]> http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/04/girls_lets_have_a_meeting.html http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/04/girls_lets_have_a_meeting.html Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:37:26 +0000 White is the “New Black”. It seems that credibility, pure talent, music knowledge, raw skills, and flow, which used to be paramount, have taken a backseat to skin color, bankroll, and lineage. I’m NOT saying that all White DJ’s are BAD and all Black DJ’s are GOOD, but if you enter an arena where you are not traditionally known to be “The” expert you should be exceptional at what you do to gain our highest honors and get the best, most exclusive and highest paying jobs. For example, I got hired over an “A-list” Jewish DJ to do the ‘Matisyahu Mixtape’ but I was chosen specifically because of my abilities. The executives at Sony were familiar with my work and my reputation for having ‘many styles’. They chose me because I was the best person for the job. Again, I’m not saying that all of the of the White dj’s that get these jobs aren’t good, but surely Black entertainers and moguls can’t really believe that there are NO qualified Black dj’s that deserve to be on this ‘A-List’ as well? Sometimes we as a people are so disconnected to the atrocities that we have endured that we don’t protect what belongs to us. Protecting what belongs to us also means supporting your people. Someone once said to me that the reason we ((Black-Americans)) have no unity is because we are the only people without a nation. My husband quickly replied, “We had a nation! It was ‘Under A Groove’ and they’re taking that from us too!” This New Years Eve I was surprised to learn that even Oprah Winfrey chose to take an ‘A-list’ white DJ to Johannesburg, South Africa to represent the BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC EXPERIENCE as she opened her new school, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls. By the way, this is in no way meant to be disrespectful to Oprah but, one might think that a qualified Black DJ would have been a more appropriate choice for such a cause directly related to our heritage. I watched James Brown’s funeral broadcast on TV. Many people spoke about the ‘Black-American Music Experience’. The Reverend Jesse Jackson explained how when James Brown played at segregated clubs in the 50’s & 60’s, black people were not allowed to cross over to the white side of the club but white people had the option of going over to the Black side if they wanted to. Usually the performer played on both sides, first for the whites, then for the blacks. James Brown however, refused to play on the White side of the club and said that if White people wanted to see him perform they had to cross over to the Black side! I have to be candid with you. Yes, there are some DJ’s out there, melanin excluded, who have a very narrow perception of soul music and Hip Hop. Knowledge is key. Black people dominate the Hip Hop/Soul/’Neo-Soul’/R&B genres of music. Why not believe in those DJ’s of color who DO take this very seriously, and who NEED the continued exposure? Why not? Perhaps the answer is beyond us all. I’ve been waiting for years for someone to spill the beans and do a story on this phenomenon. Seems like I was waiting for ‘me’ because I haven’t read anything about it anywhere… until now…sort of. Ironically on Sunday, February 4th, 2007 the NY Times published an article (‘Playing That Mogul-Music’ by Lola-Ogunnaike) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/fashion/04manager.html The article, although written from a completely different perspective, actually confirms a lot of the things that I am saying in this blog. It talks about how lucrative and empowering the DJ game can be for the ‘A list’ DJ’s and the DJ Managers. Despite the fact that I am also mentioned in this article and am even in the photo accompanying the article, I still cannot sit silently and not speak out on the inverted discrimination which is common knowledge in the entertainment industry. We all KNOW about it: the professional DJ’s, entertainers, music industry staff, assistant moguls, assistant to the assistant moguls, etc. EVERYBODY KNOWS! Yet somehow it keeps happening. The choice to hire only White djs for all of the top Black ‘A-list’ events creates a chain reaction. All of the event planners and PR people have a ‘short list’- an “A” list of all the hot top djs who they pick from for events. I guarantee, (9 times out of 10) the most famous Black DJ, best Black DJ, most legendary, most skillful, or even best looking are not on these short lists. Why? Because they are almost never requested for the Black A-list events. White DJ’s are supported, endorsed, anointed, and empowered by their own people and ours. These DJ’s are in all of the right parties, which gets them more parties which gets them more publicity which adds to their celebrity which gives them other opportunities to empower themselves beyond their DJ careers. This common practice of Black Music execs and entertainers openly not hiring Black DJ’s is a blatant act of disrespect and a dismissal of our unique and life long relationship with music. It also reinforces a policy that seems to be common amongst many Black elite: ‘Us Four …But No More’. “BLACK PEOPLE UNITE LETS ALL GET DOWN”- MOS DEF Beverly Bond Heavy Hitters!-NYC R.I.P. THE GODFATHER OF SOUL JAMES BROWN]]> http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/02/fear_of_a_black_dj_1.html http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/02/fear_of_a_black_dj_1.html Sat, 10 Feb 2007 00:31:10 +0000 Peace vibevixen.com Readers, I’m Beverly Bond: Celebrity DJ, producer, television writer, budding philanthropist, activist, and now… ‘weekly blogger for Vibevixen.com’. I’m glad I’m doing this because I have a lot to talk to you about. But first let me give you a quick overview of how I came to be. My music career started in 2000 when I turned my hobby, passion, respect, and love for the music into a full time gig. I’ve always believed that music is supposed to feed your soul. That is how I approach every party. I would take my crowd on a musical journey. Every time I spun I’d receive much praise, appreciation, and respect which made me work even harder to keep the audience stimulated. My reputation was built on: my endless combination of selections, a flow that ebbed with energy, retroactive creativity, razor-sharp blending skills, an almost cosmic understanding of how to move a crowd, and last but not least my vast knowledge of musical history which allowed me to mix eras and genres into a seamless groove. All of this I attribute to growing up as a young black girl in America. In fact, Black Americans have always had a unique, intimate, spiritual relationship with music. Since our ancestors arrival on these shores music has been our solace, a form of our communication, and our connection to the Motherland. When black people had nothing else we always had music and dance- from slave song-spirituals to the ‘soul clap’; to the beat box to the ‘ayyy-yo-aiight!!!!’ and many dances we made up along the way from soul-train’ line to lindy hopppin’, poppin’ & lockin’ bumpin ’ & woppin’ & Harlem shakin’, music and dance have always been a staple in our family structure. Connoisseurs from birth, we have always naturally understood the key ingredients for a good party. http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/02/say_it_loud.html http://www.vibevixen.com/blog/wordisbond/2007/02/say_it_loud.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:14:04 +0000