For some reason, this just stuck in my craw (I haven't used that expression in awhile, I'm glad for the opportunity though). Barker has a spare mil laying around and he decides to give it to an already rich school to study Animal Rights Law. I didn't even know they taught Animal Rights Law at law schools. Is that really a concentration? Intellectual Property, Criminal Defense and oh, of course, Animal Rights. Not that I don't think animals should be protected, or that Barker doesn't have the right to use his money however he likes, but it just seems that if you're gonna give $1 million to a law school, at least have it be for the study of human rights, or the death penalty or mandatory minimums, or something that could have a direct positive impact on humanity. Shit, if you're gonna give away $1 million, feed some hungry orphans, or fund some AIDS research , or just give it to me so I can quit my job and fulfill my lifelong ambition of becoming a beach bum.
(Let's take a moment to allow Shlep to step off of the soap box)
*****
Post election thoughts: I would like to say to all liberals/Anti-Bushers that please do not get discouraged. Yes, Democrats had a huge movement behind them, yes it was damn close, and yes Bush still somehow won the popular and electoral votes, but we have to make sure he can still hear the voices of the 55 million who voted against him. We must regroup and rebuild our strength and continue fighting the good fight against imposed conservative values, manifest destiny foreign policy, and the continued mangling of the English language. Stay informed and keep voting at all levels. State, local, city council, school board, whatever, make sure your voice is heard from the bottom up. There is much work to be done, "Break's Over".
*****
I can't stop listening to:
The Beautiful Struggle from Talib Kweli
Just like the title itself, which so succintly and perfectly captures the dual nature of being alive, Talib's second solo effort (fourth if you count Black Star and Reflection Eterenal ) is that rare album that presents a complete picture of life. Talib defies all one-dimensional characterizations and takes us on a journey from the club to the street to the church and all points in between. His lyrical grace and skill is unmatched as he covers subjects as general as love, family,race, society, and as personal as his own place in music, the extent of his duty to the community, and the conflict between self-satisfaction and making others happy. He even finds time to respond to Jay-Z. (On the The Black Album Jay-Z offered an explanation for his lyrical choices. From Moment of Clarity , "And the music I be makin/I dumb down for my audience/And double my dollars/They criticize me for it/Yet they all yell "Holla"/If skills sold/Truth be told/I'd probably be/Lyricly/Talib Kweli/Truthfully/I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/ But I did five Mil /I ain't been rhymin like Common Sense" Talib's response from Ghetto Show featuring Common, "If lyrics sold then truth be told/I'll probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like common sense/Next best thing I do a record with Common Sense")
All over The Beatiful Struggle Talib flexes his lyrical muscle with gems from songs like Going Hard ,
"I was sold to a sick European by a rich African battling/Middle passages I can't go back again/Battling years of denied history,/Lies and mysteries/Wives with misty eyes/Watching their husbands be beaten viciously...Those who trade in freedom for their protection deserve neither/Not a name, not tradition, religion you learn Jesus/Turn the other cheek inherit the earth just stay meek/Fuck the way you speak/You try to run we chop off your feet/Fast forward to 2004/We selling raw/Yo this aint what I'm settling for/I want more"
and from the first single I Try "I try to navigate the treacherous waters of/America's ghettos that set up to slaughter us/But there's more of us/Although we speak in different languages/We all pretty familiar with what anger is/Young and dangerous, trigger stanglers/Get up on some gangsta shit...Tryin' to bring your struggle to life/The label want a song about a bubbly life/I have trouble tryin' to write some shit/To bang in the club through the night/When people suffer tonight/Lord knows I try"
Jean Grae (remember the name, she's absolutely SICK) drops a killer verse on Black Girl Pain "...For all my cousins back home/ The strength of mommy's backbone/The length of which she went for raising sacrificing her own/The pain of not reflecting the range of our complexions/For rubber pellet scars on Auntie Elna's back/ I march/ Fist raised/ Caramel shinin in all our glory/For Mauritius, St, Helena/ My blood is a million stories..."
Talib keeps the quality of the music as stellar as his rhymes, with beats from superstar producers Kanye West, Just Blaze and the Neptunes, newcomers Charlemagne and Supa Dave West, as well as his old collaborator Hi-Tek. Talib gives Kanye some serious competiton for the crossover-appeal mantle as the carefully crafted melodies and catchy hooks (sung by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Anthony Hamilton) make The Beautiful Struggle a typical mainstream hit on the surface, while never losing the integrity and intelligence that Talib has been known for thus far.
With his latest album, Talib proves he can make you hum the hook, make your head bang, and make you think at the same time. Talib refuses to be identified by any singular labels, and by touching on and eloquently rhyming about the different sources of joy and pain in his own life he reminds us that our experiences, good and bad, make us who we are. Despite the highs and lows, tomorrow is another day, and there is always someone or something to live for. "Life is beautiful, life is a struggle, life is a beautiful struggle."*
*Talib credits this quote and the inspiration for the album to his brother-in-rhyme, Mos Def (who supposedly had it as his voicemail message), and who also recently dropped an excellent new album that I haven't finished listening to because I left it in Albany. Yes, I know I'm lame.
****
Administrative notes: With help from the Captain once again, I've installed a security key on the comments to deter any more spam from the likes of Viagra, Cialis, Texas Hold 'Em and animal incest porn (yes, that was an actual comment). Hopefully, its not too much of an inconvenience for the readers (both of you).
Inspired and uplifted by new Talib album, the pizzle also has a new tagline taken from the last verse of the last song on the CD. Talib speaks to the pizzle's ideals of staying true to yourself and continuing to live your life through any and all hardships. Struggle is beautiful because whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Until next time pizzle denizens, enjoy life, do the right thing, love your fellow man and don't forget to call your mother. Peace.