Business…this week’s column entry is on Kanye West’s burgeoning gospel career…sorta. Also, next week the column begins running on Fridays, and it will be running weekly, so now you can find it without me shamelessly promoting it. No, that does not mean I will stop the shameless self-promotion. Honestly, I have no idea what shame is.
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Okay, I’ve had enough…
It’s well-known I’m a fan of The Boondocks, and I’ve been fortunate enough to do two interviews with Aaron McGruder (this one two years ago, and this one from last year). After the most recent one, I was treated to a flood of mail from readers that continues to this day, and for that I’m thankful.
Sorta.
See, it seems that doing a doing with A-Dub makes you his manager. Every time I think someone’s gonna tell me something about my insightful questions or that this was the best interview they’d seen since Malcolm’s joint in Playboy, it’s really just someone asking me for his e-mail address, phone number, blood type, anything.
This must cease.
Look here…I ain’t got it. The one time I was in a room with him was for ten minutes, and we didn’t get that cool (that’s another story for another day).
So, at the risk of losing cool points, Aaron Mcgruder isn’t my boy. I don’t know him. We don’t hang. He wouldn’t speak to me on the street. If I called his house, the call would be traced, and I’d be writing this from the cyber cafe in the pokey. The best I can do is direct you people that want him for speeches to APB Speakers and tell you to speak with Flip Porter or suggest you go to www.ucomics.com and register to have the strip sent to you by e-mail.
That’s all I got for you. No more toying with my ego, man. I get too much hate mail to get faked out like this. I’m fragile, man.
Like delicate china, just with a fouler mouth and an ornery disposition.
But if you’re here because you loved the interviews, Baba loves you, too, baby!
***
Mugabe weighed in recently on Bush, Blair, and Iraq. Though fairly simple, he makes a good point about the hypocritical way “human rights” are used as a political tool. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to get his act right. But, check the report…fully going into Mugabe would require about 3,000 words and a month to get it just right.
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I‘m Bomani, and I’m a fantasy football addict.
I have reduced athletes to numbers on a score sheet, and I obsessively check ESPN.com to see what numbers my players have put up. Don’t need a game recap…just the stats. Could be the greatest game ever…but if Adam Vinatieri doesn’t drill a 40 yard field goal, my day is ruined.
This is all bad.
But see, I’m also one of those people that only picks up players he likes to be on the squad. It’s debatable whether you can both win and do that, and that may compel me to quit doing this. It’s kind of like picking your Final Four bracket. You wind up in conflicts between your heart and your brain, particularly if your brain put money on the thing.
In the Final Four, nothing is worse than when I admit that the Dookies are actually good–which they always are, and that’s further affirmation that there is a Devil–pick them to get to the championship, only to have them lose early. I swallow all the hatred I have for that blasted program, and then they lose. So even when they lose, they hurt me.
Last football season, I wound up hoping that Oklahoma (my mother’s undergraduate institution and my sworn enemy as a member of the Longhorn Nation) would win the Big 12 so that UT could get into a BCS bowl. So what does OU do? Not only did they get mollywopped in the Tweezy Championship, they still played for the title.
And then they lost to LSU, which is like Barry Goldwater beating George Bush in the general election. No good either way.
And all the way, it was all bad for me.
So, I try to avoid such situations. Luckily, there are enough jokers in the NFL that I like that make it possible to avoid such things.
And yes, I have most country, hood team in FFL history. Vick at QB (a native of Bad News, VA), Moss at receiver, the Edge at RB, Baltimore’s defense (with Deion, Killa Ray, and others that are too much for words), Laverneaus Coles (who still goes by the childhood nickname “Trouble”), and others that seem like the kinda cats I’d run with in real life.
Save for Moss…he don’t know to leave the contraband at home…and if you bring it, don’t hit a meter maid with your car.
And Edgerrin James, who spends a little too much time around rock stars, and I ain’t talkin’ about the kind that play guitar.
But let any of ’em slip…sworn enemies, every last one of ’em.
And yes, this is a clear sign I need more to do with my life.
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And the question I leave you with…am I the only one that kinda misses non-threatening Negroes on the radio? Can somebody break out the denim shirts and visors? Fake thuggin’ is killin me.
Almost enough to want to see Boyz II Men…and no, I can’t believe I said that. They haven’t been dope since track 6 on their first album…thirteen years ago.
Yes, you’re old. And I will be soon.
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And the song of the week…Language Arts’ “Bulls Up.”
Don’t know about it? You will…trust me.
8 thoughts on “Let someone else be your manager…”
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Well, I maybe a Boys II Men fanatic, but I love it all… I miss the music and the artists of the 80s and the early 90s myself.
Bruh, you KNOW how deeply my acrimony for LSU is. Man, since OU got their lame-duck arses kicked in the Pete Richardson, I mean Louisiana Superdome, it’s been more purple going around here than if Prince took over Baton Rouge…
And about your Fantasy Football fetish, I too play FF and I gotta go the Vandy route and get some white boys on my team (Chad Pennington, B-more kicker Matt Stover) to make it all the way. (Bo, you should remember the Vandy reference from the NCAA tourney!)
Fake thuggin’ is killin me…These wannabe thugs were probably playing in HCASC or were in the Nat’l Honor Society in High School…now they talkin bout guns and stuff..(Ex. Lil’ Wayne’s ‘Go D.J’..a song which he does not talk about a damned DJ at all except for the hook).
And to end my rant, only Boyz II Men song that I ever liked was the two lil slow jams on their first joint (the Ooh Aah remix and the other lil blue light in the dorm song)……
Oh yeah..you right! Speaking from personal experience, interviewing somebody of some noteriety DOES NOT put you in that person’s inner sanctum.
BO
Is it just me or does the “No Limit” family
just find biting ATL artists irresistable.
1. They tried to appropriate hootie-hoo ,when we know that that is original OutKAst circa 1994.
2. Now Silk tha Shocker is trying to talk about them “Guhls”.
Can we get some originality in the Tank?
Yo, Randy Moss can’t leave his contraband at home, he has the fattest sacks in the WVA. It would be like asking him not to f*#k with your wife.
Hey Yo… regarding you column on Africana…
I’ve been keeping up with the gospel hip-hop scene (or Christian hip-hop, Holy hip-Hop) whatever you want to call it.. and there’s some mad talented artists out there. The thing with the Stellar Awards is they really have no clue… they nominate groups and artists that just do an R&B style type of Gospel music as hip-hop artists…
There are groups like Grits, Cross Movement, KJ-52, Tunnel Rats crew that have reppin hard for years but they’re virtually igonored by the Christian Music Industry. Holy Hip-Hop is exactly how secular hip-hop was in the mid-80’s right now.
I wrote a couple of pieces about the industry.. I’ll forward them to you when i scan them
Just curious, and yes I could use some education on this one, but is the Christian/Gospel hip-hop situation the same as in the rock category? Being labeled a “Christian” rock act will kill your hopes of success faster than playing Brian Griese at QB. Creed sucks, they always sucked, but that first album sold like crazy until they were labeled “Christian”, and then their popularity went downhill, to the point that people went on a crusade (pardon the pun) to suqash them. Is it the same thing in hip-hop?
Kirk,
Not really man. Christian hip-hop is virtually ignored by mainstream hip-hop and the Christian music industry… It’s like its own industry. There is no hip-hop christian hip-hop group that I’ve known to “hide” their beliefs… just listen to their lyrics and you’ll find out where they’re at… the basic thing is, they have no support, no videos, no radio… nothing from either hip-hop or christian markets
But even with the rock situation, look at P.O.D. and Evanescence… they’re both Christian bands who have been repping their faith hard, and their sales continue to remain steady…
No Christian hip-hop group has broken through the mainstream like that… unless if you count Mase… but there maybe some corssing over oosn with groups like The Grits and The Procussions… we’ll see.
Wow, this is lovely! Decent conversation on the web? I’m lovin it! (sorry if McDonald’s just came to mind :D). I will most definitely be checking in on Bomani’s articles (the web page did not disappoint – Bro. Jones might have a new fan…we’ll see if he’s consistent)…and I will post as well. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s comments so far.
Oh, and on the Christian Hip-Hop subject, take it from a Born Again Biggie Fan (yes, it is possible), it’s just a matter of time. Ya’ll might even catch me offering some vocals to some hot new Christ-centered jam. I’m ready, are you?
Finally in good company,
Key