Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I don't wanna b a number, I don't wanna b a slave.

I want to talk to you about negritude. Hold up its not bad. Its a theory of thought that Franz Fanon spoke of. Franz was a brother from the West Indian island of Martinique. He was a psychologist that had a partial influence on Malcolm X. Negritude is a concept that explains a concept that only blacks can get, in other words "it's a black thing". Let me make it easy for you. In the late seventies and the early eighties break dancing popped up. Around this time a German musical group called Kraftwerk emerged. The brothers went crazy for the kraut rock they made,(their words not mine.) How does this have anything to do with negritude ? , let me explain.

Ask any brother 35 to 45 years old to count to ten in German. they can't do it. Now ask them to sing the song "Numbers". Most brothers can count to eight in German, four in Japanese,four in Spanish,and two in Korean.You wonder how ?, negritude. Its something that only blacks can get. Kraftwerk is actually a Funk group. Don't believe me, their in a history of funk book along with George Clinton. In a remix of the song the opening lyrics are "I don't want to be a number, I don't want to be a slave".They understand the concept of being on the outside. Four German guys understand that. That's negritude. I not trying to say that they totally understand the black identity, but you can feel it thought the music.

Jump to the 21st century, Bill Oreilly writes a "rap" in his book to talk to the "kids". You can't manufacture being real. Bill can drink a forty ounce of hip hop , along with a chaser of R&B. You will never understand us. As long as you have Toms around you , you will not understand negritude. Yes Juan Williams can tell you the words , the movements, the ideas, you won't get it. Just like Bill Clinton at his presidential inaugural had George Clinton (I kid you not), that's makes him cool , but not black.

If you understand black people , they will embrace you. Yea, we can talk, its cool. But if you are patronising to us , If you fake the fonk your nose is gonna grow. So Bill ,Hillary, just be real . We are not just numbers.

1 comment:

vanishing point said...

this is a really good post, too bad you don't write more of your own thoughts.