Peace to Kwanzaa

Peace & Greeting to All,

Happy Kwanzaa.....Since this is the first day of the seven guiding principles. May "Umoja" be blessed in your homes in communities today, and through out the year. Umoja/Unity stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community, which is reflected in the African saying, "I am We," or "I am because We are."

If you would like to learn more about Kwanzaa please go to www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/

One

Storme

The Rare Breed

We lost one...JB your a Champion!

Peace Fam,
RIP to the hardest working man in show business! Your talent was endless, and will live on. Stay on the good foot...Godfather of Soul.

"I am sixty eight inches above sea level ninety three million miles above these devils

Peace Fam, Here is another one from out the Golden Vault. Besides the Fugees here was another trail blazing threesome. They held BK down. Ladybug Mecca could liquify mics. "I am sixty eight inches above sea level ninety three million miles above these devils play me in the winter play me in the summer play me in the autumn any order you want ‘em i got ‘em drippin like water."

She is another one I would add to my "she-rock" list. She is also in that new Snoop dogg joint with E40,Mc Eiht,and DPG. They used her voice on the hook, and dropped her in the video. Good look out Snoop or whoever was behind that. Anyway this video is pure raw, BK style. They need to work on that comeback CD. Enjoy!

One
Storme
The Rare Breed

Easy Star

Peace Fam,
Ok...here is another one of all-time favorite mcs. This man spits straight flames. You need to check out song "Geneocide" it's crazy, and so true. Shout out to PRT! He is dropping some jewels in the article below ...seriously like Whitney on coke. Check it
I found this on Davey D's site. It is an article by Wise responding to another article that was written about Jay-Z.
Read, think, enjoy
One
Storme...the rare breed
=============================
Who The Hell Am I? Has Jay-Z Outgrown Hip-Hop?
An Intelligent Response…
by Wise Intelligent


This is a very well written, informative, and at the same time, inquisitive article. It reached its goal in provoking the thoughts of its reader, while at the same time inducing the reader with the opinion of the author. The less-observant reader will no doubt be persuaded to think that Hip Hop does not want to see the end result of the struggle (represented by Jay-Z, to the writer), and desires more so to continue in an infinite cycle of purposeless "ballin", "hustlin", and "coming-up!"

However, this is where this journalist and I disagree. Its not that Hip Hop does not want to see anyone fulfill their "dreams," its actually the fact that Hip Hop in its origin, at its root, deeply imbedded in its subconscious lies the precepts of its "original doctrine" which is "ACTIVISM." Hip Hop, like the BPP, CIBI, OAAU, etc., began as a "movement" to empower poor ghetto youth in America and eventually the world, with the result being defined here as the "upward mobility" of the "masses" and not the "individual" alone.

So the writer is correct when he says that "What Jay-Z has become is a dream materialized." But, the "dream" of Hip Hop was to see the "community" in a better place and not just one "nigga." What Jay-Z has achieved is nothing more than the "American-Dream", defined here as "the accumulation of personal wealth solely for the upward mobilization of the individual." This "Amerikkkan Dream" has been achieved by many of "niggas" before Hip Hop was born.

The problem has always been that most of our examples of a "nigga" who "made-it" represented "niggas" who failed to be continuously "ACTIVE" in the struggle of the masses of the people from which they came. Black youth in America at the time of Hip Hop's birth had long since abandoned the futility of the American "Dream" because they had seen so many brothers and sisters "make-it" and, yes, for them, the "struggle stopped!" And this my friends is the reason for the "dis-connect" with Jay-Z, Bill Cosby, Bob Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, and all the other "niggas" who represent the Amerikkkan "dream materialized."

Their is NO active presence of any of these "niggas" in the struggle still confronting the "black-communities" from which they came. So, yes "Jay-Z has more money than you (or he) has ever thought of and can now do things that were out of Hip-Hop’s collective reach." And so does all the other "niggas" on the long list of "niggas" who "made-it!" But, what do they do? They become spokesmen for @#%$ like "anti-Semitism?" I mean, not one of these niggas have ever put their image and likeness at the front of any real campaign to save the black youth of America (who need them more now than ever), the large majority of whom it is a well documented fact; will not see any parts of the "Amerikkkan Dream!" And this is why a line has been, and rightfully so, drawn between what is Hip Hop and what is rap.

With all this wealth and financial knowledge at his disposal, it seems like the only thing the "Jigga-man" has ACTIVE-ly done for the "black-community" with his money is brag, boast, and stunt in the face of 30 million black youth who literally don't have @#%$.

In the same lyrics quoted by this journalist, Jay-Z also speaks constantly of how he can take the next mans girl and "ball-her-out!" Nigga please, I know you can take my girl to Paris? I work an "honest" 9 to 5, I don't sell crack, I'm not a rapper, I like Hip Hop, I'm a fan of Jay-Z, but, must I be beaten over the head with the fact that you're rich and I'm not? In conclusion, I know that this manifest will be given the infamous "player-hater" status. I know that many will quote bullshit slogans like "I can save the world" or "I don't know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone." But, lets imagine for a minute if Harriet Tubman would have adopted this same selfish position, and after she "made-it" to freedom, or after "achieving" that freedom and realizing her "dream" of being a free-woman, said "I can't save the world" or "I don't know the way to freedom, but the secret to slavery is trying to free others" and went shopping in Paris? Well, she didn't and she knew that she could not "save the world" but believed deeply that she could "save the BLACK WORLD" so she ACTIVELY got involved and organized the "Underground Railroad!" She is the "Poster-Child" for a "sister" who "made-it" to freedom, became the "realization of a dream" but understood that the "dream" was not fulfilled unless it was shared by the "masses." Proper Education Always Counters Exploitation....


WISE INTELLIGENT IZ......

The Talented Timothy Taylor "COMING SOON"

WWW.INTELLIGENTMUZIK.COM

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WISEINTELLIGENT

Monie In The Middle..Where she at?!

Peace Fam,
It is cold outside. I thought I would give you one of the ladies to remember. Yes she had mic skills. I wish her and Latifah would get on a track together, and put it down just to put it down because they can. I think Monie is currently a dj in Philly. Do your thing. Thank you for the memories.
Shout out to the Native Tongues, and Zulus!
One
Storme
The Rare Breed

What you on huh....Dope or Dog food?

Peace Fam,

For the most part I strive not to post about all the dirt, and suppose "battles" between rappers, or their crews etc... Because you can get that on plenty of blogs or in numerous articles. However every now and then...someone will talk so slick. That I have to make a comment regarding the situation. Well I found this on Real talk NY blog. Lil' Wayne did an interview in Complex magazine, and his statements were highlighted. Now I must admit I have not read the full article, and we all know certain things can be taken out of context when people do interviews whether its a politician, actor, or local community activists. However it is very difficult to get these comments twisted. Here is what was said below.....my thoughts are in blue after his comments.

Comments on Jay-Z
“I don’t like what he’s saying about how he had to come back because hip hop’s dead and we need him,” he says. “What the f*ck do you mean? If anything it’s reborn, so he’s probably having a problem with that. You left on a good note, and all of the artists were saying, ‘Yo, this is Jay’s house. He’s the best.’ Now he comes back and still thinks it’s his house. But we f*cked b*tches in your bed already. It’s not your house anymore and I’m better than you.”
(In regards to being better than Jay-Z)“Who don’t? [to friends in the background] Ay-yo, am I better than Jay? [friends laugh and nod]. I ain’t got nothing to do with who he is. I’m better than him, though. I’m 24 years old… The dude’s like…? It’s scary. I’m 13 years deep with five albums and 10 million records sold.”

Ok..I try to look at things with a wider vision. I have an open mind so I think every rapper thinks he or she is the greatest that is all part of the game. However this is the same man who sang Jay's praises not to long ago. He is the same man who attempted to rock Jay's whole style. He was one of Jay's biggest stans pardon self I mean fans. So what would make him do a complete 360, and speak publicly about it. Well look no further then his associations/friends the Dipset. I think Lil Wayne is riding for his fellas yall....LOL. You know jumping on the bandwagon. WTF is he stressing on..? I mean really he is speaking on Jay's age when his "father" Baby is the same age as Jay if not older, and still rapping. Didn't they just release an album together? So what can he say about age. Next how old was Jay when he started..and..what? Then he goes on to say he is better than Jay lyrically. I know he is smoking glass or plastic... one he is a "self-proclaimed" great rapper. I mean is he really on anybody's top ten list for great lyricists? Seriously? I am not talking about your favorite rapper people. Well maybe he is for there are some people who would agree with him out there. However there is still no denying his dramatic switch of sides, and his side azz comments. Wayne for once be your own man..stand on your own two...not with Baby, not with Dipset, not on Jay's swagger. It's like Nas said...if you get personally offended because he said HipHop is dead then look no further then your self bro...!



Comments on The Clipse and Pharrell
”I don’t see no f*cking Clipse. This is a f*cking legend you’re talking to right here. How many years them niggas been around? Who the f*ck is Pharrell? Do you really respect him? That nigga wore BAPE and y’all thought he was weird. I wore it and y’all thought it was hot. What I gotta go in the store and say, ‘I like these colors but I can’t buy them because other rappers wore them?”

Again...I am tired with the overdosed cracked out ego. "He's a legend, he one of the greatest etc" I remind you again this is all self-proclaimed. I am all for self-esteem but sometimes in an interview you need to shut that sh%t down, and be humble. Because sooner or later you become Kanye'ish like at award shows when he loses, and we get tired of the garbage. I think if you read a lot of the people's comments they are beginning to feel that way. I don't know who the "yall" is...who thought Pharrell was weird. I don't know where the diss came from regarding the Clipse. Obviously it is something related to what the interviewer said or asked. However I know Pharell had his own little flavor going on which Hiphop has been known for since the beginning...it's called originality where if everybody is going right..some of us take a left. That's the fly lick right there...like Ghost talking about how he is going to freak his Clarks Wallabees with different colors. You know he was not going to rock the regular...ones etc...
And no Wayne no one is saying you can not buy them..... In fact you did buy them, you did you, now move on please stop playing into the media games. Unless this is all part of your publicity act to get people talking to say something for shock value...Just stop feeding the machine. This was pointless.

Comments on the Kissing Controversy
"I don’t fault nobody for misunderstanding. I don’t understand a lot of sh*t.Baby walked in the crib one day and was like, ‘Everybody’s doing this black mobsh*t. When I see you niggas, this is what we’re gonna do.’ And that’s why you’veprobably got a picture of me because I stuck with everything that man said. Butevery nigga’s done that. I’ve done kissed [Juvenile and B.G.]. No homo.Pause.”

Once again...be your own man. One day we all have to grow up from our "parents," and become leaders ourselves. Well whatever there are no pictures of you kissing Juve or BG. There is no tape of you being on a show kissing Juve or BG which started all this mess in the first place. Plus..I thought you and Juve never got along like that..so I really wonder why you would kiss this man. Listen whatever works for you all then it is what it is. There is no need for you to inform us that all of you did it (LOL). It's like when one kid get's caught, and was like I am not the only one who did it? In your world would that be snitching? LMAO. Anyway....let it go..stand behind your actions.


PS: Also one more thing because I heard this on one of your rhymes you stated...something about your the only south ni99a that could rhyme with the WU.
Please stop! Drop the pipe! And run like hell to the nearest rehab or shrink! You may need a refill.

One
Storme
The Rare Breed

Even if What We Do is Wrong.............

Peace Fam,

Fayette Crew 4Evea......

I was excited and depressed that one of my favorite shows on TV has come to it's season end. The Wire. Yes I am one of many that they called the "wired" a die-hard fan. I have been following this show since the beginning. The writing on this show is excellent. The depth of the characters and the details of the stories make this more than "cop vs crooks" drama on the tube. They really done a great job on who they cast for the roles. I am sure you have heard some of these comments over, and over on certain blogs, reviews etc.

However I am glad to announce that they will be back next season (5). See the article below. And I can not wait!!! Maybe they should even think about a movie, however 2 hours would still not be enough!

One

Storme

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Wire Renewed for Fifth Season
The beloved HBO series will return for a fifth and final year.
by Eric Goldman


September 13, 2006 - In very happy news, HBO has announced that The Wire has been renewed for a fifth season. To call the Baltimore set dramatic series "critically acclaimed" at this point is an understatement, as it has received nearly universal kudos, with many calling it not only one of the best television series currently on the air, but one of the best television series ever.Unfortunately, these amazing reviews haven't translated into a large audience and this past Sunday's premiere of season 4 garnered only lukewarm ratings for the show. However, Wire creator David Simon had said he intended the series to be told in five seasons, and the extremely loyal fanbase (including those of us at IGN) were very hopeful that HBO would allow for the series to get the proper conclusion it deserved. Previous seasons of The Wire have shifted the focus from the lives of drug dealers to the working class to politicians, with the current season focusing on education, and the kids and teachers living in a drug and crime filled area. Simon has hinted the final season will take a look at media, and in the press release announcing season 5, seems to imply a self-aware concept for the final season: "The last question we want to ask is this: For four seasons, we have depicted that part of urban America that has been left behind by the economy and by the greater society, and chronicled entrenched problems that have gone without solution for generations now. Why? What is it that we see and sense about these problems? To what are we giving attention, and what is it that we consistently ignore? How do we actually see ourselves?"

Eazy E: Eazy-er Said Than Done

Peace Fam,
RIP Eazy E
Remember to Support World Aids Day!

Knowlede is power. Check the article below, get the facts. You can also get more information at www.worldaidsday.org, and see how this disease is effecting the world.

One
Storme
The rare breed

By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter
Fri Dec 1, 5:02 PM ET



FRIDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- By now, most Americans know the drill: Practice safer sex, and HIV should leave you and your community alone.

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Except that it's not really working out that way for America's blacks. Study after study shows that HIV infections continue to escalate among this community -- especially among gay and bisexual black men -- even though they practice safe sex at rates that equal or exceed those of whites.


For example, a study published in time for World AIDS Day on Friday in the American Journal of Public Health found that young black adults who had engaged in no sex over the past year, didn't drink, and didn't abuse drugs were still 25 times more likely to test positive for a sexually transmitted disease or HIV than whites who practiced similar behaviors.


According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fully half of the nation's new HIV infections occur among blacks, who make up just 13 percent of the population. That rate continues to soar, despite the fact that condom use among blacks now tops 50 percent, compared to just one-third for young whites. According to the CDC, black women have 21 times the risk of white women of contracting HIV, while black males are eight times as likely to become infected as white men.


And, according to a recent five-city study conducted by the CDC, a staggering 46 percent of young gay black men in America now carry HIV -- a rate that equals or exceeds that of most nations in sub-Saharan Africa. By comparison, the infection rate among gay American white men hovers around 21 percent.


"However, black men who have sex with men (MSM) do not engage in higher rates of unsafe sexual behaviors compared to other MSM -- we found that in about 30 studies," said CDC HIV/AIDS investigator Gregorio Millet. He spoke at a Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) summit on the issue held earlier this week in New York City.


Millet noted that studies also show that gay and bisexual black men use illicit drugs at roughly the same rate as their white peers.


So, if black Americans are doing so much that is right, what is going wrong? Twenty-five years into the AIDS epidemic, no one really knows for sure.


Denise Hallfors, the author of the American Journal of Public Health paper, said that for too long, the CDC and other public health entities have looked upon HIV/AIDS from a solidly white perspective.


Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, most infections among whites were largely contained within specific groups, such as gay men and intravenous drug users. "The thinking was, you have to go after those very high-risk populations," said Hallfors, who is senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Chapel Hill, N.C.


"So, those are the populations that the CDC focused on and did outreach with. And if you look at the data from our study, that makes perfect sense -- whites have very low rates of STDs if they are not in those risk categories. As soon as they enter those risk categories, their rates triple."


But the black community appears to work differently, with the borders between low- and high-risk groups much more blurred. "High-risk individuals can and often do cross over into low-risk groups," Hallfors said. "Once they cross over into the low-risk group, then they spread infection to the much larger community."


Because of the higher death and incarceration rate of black men, black women -- who tend to partner with black men -- have a smaller pool of potential mates to pick from compared to whites, Hallfors added.


"So, if you are a young black female adult and you go to church every Sunday, you have a pretty conservative lifestyle, you don't drink, smoke or do drugs, and you have even one or two partners in your lifetime, if one of them happens to be infected, you're sitting there with an STD," Hallfors said. And since this woman's apparently low-risk, church-going partner may have unknowingly contracted his infection from a prior high-risk contact, she believes she is "safe" and thus doesn't get tested for HIV, or gets tested far too late.


The same may hold true among gay black men, Millet said. "Black MSM are also less likely than other MSM to be tested for HIV," at least on a regular basis, he said. That leaves them more open to unknowingly pass the virus on to other partners.


There could be many other reasons for the virulent spread of HIV among gay black men, but the data just isn't out there, he said. Gay black men may be at higher risk because of their genetics, their lower rate of circumcision (circumcision reduces infectivity), reduced access to health care, their pattern of sexual partners, and their higher rates of incarceration -- one in four black men will serve jail time vs. one in 24 whites. "Unfortunately, there are all these hypotheses where we just don't have sufficient data," Millet said.


Until recently, there's also been little outreach to this hard-hit community, Millet added. "This epidemic has been raging among black MSM for well over 20 years and for some reason there have not been enough HIV prevention programs directed at blacks," Millet said.


Damon Dozier, director of government relations and public policy at the National Minority AIDS Council, said it's taken the recent release of shocking statistics to wake policymakers from their focus on whites.

"I think that no one really paid attention to what was going on, but that 46 percent infection rate is a huge number," he said. "Because of that, the wool has been pulled from people's eyes."

But Dozier said that the CDC, especially, is less able to tackle these issues now than it was in the past. "The CDC prevention budget has been slashed over the past few years," he said. "It would take a number of dollars just to get them back to baseline. Our hope is that with this new Congress, with Ms. Pelosi [incoming House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat] as leader, that we can devote more money to prevention and direct those prevention dollars to that 46 percent demographic."

There are signs of a real turnaround at the CDC. Late in 2005, the agency's head, Dr. Julie Gerberding, met with black activists who had pasted signs reading 46% is Unacceptable to the front of their desks. As reported by The Advocate at the time, Gerberding told them that, "Whatever we are doing right now, it is not enough."

Since then, the agency has launched a flotilla of HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs aimed at specific black communities -- many with proven track records in turning attitudes and behaviors around.

And, on Thursday, Gerderding issued a statement noting that the CDC has "recently issued new recommendations to make HIV screening a routine part of medical care for all patients between the ages of 13 and 64." Most experts who deal with minority communities say getting individuals acquainted with their HIV status is key to helping them get treated, protect their partners, and slow the epidemic.

CDC investigator Millet said he believes the situation "is getting better, in that we are now asking the right questions -- there are more people from these affected populations who are doing the needed research."

Hallfors agreed. She said that papers like hers, and new data coming out of the CDC and elsewhere, "is really important, because policymakers can start to think differently. Whites and blacks are different, the dynamics are different, and you can't just treat these diseases the same for both groups."