The Power Struggle: Race and Sports in America

Photo: ScienceBuzz

It is not surprising that sports have become more and more important to black children than to white children. William Ellerbee, basketball coach of Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia, believes: “Suburban kids tend to play for the fun of it. Inner-city kids look at basketball as a matter of life or death.” (science.smith.edu)

This is actually quite true as many young, black athletes tend to lean towards sports with a hope to escape poverty. The problem however, begins with the perception of these athletes by their team owners. These owners seem to take advantage of this circumstance as they view themselves as a superior savior to their inferior subordinates – viewing these guys as less than human.

Many people try to ignore America’s racial past by referring to today’s society as “post-racial,” but racism is not a horror of the past and it is still very prevalent today. 

For example, Los Angeles Clippers (now former) owner Donald Sterling’s controversy has sparked a larger conversation about America and race, and in this case it’s black athletes. These athletes who go out there and essentially place their lives on the line, aren’t respected in the least way. Sterling’s comments openly displayed most of these team owners true sentiments. 

Essentially, professional sports can be likened to a modern day slave trade as these athletes are objectified and used like chattel.

Photo: Twitter

They’re often bred from Pee Wee leagues until college, and ultimately professional sports. They’re then weighed in – for sports such as the NFL Combine – and looked upon as chattel as these coaches and team owners bid back and forth to determine who will make their team.

These athletes basically put their lives on the line for their love of the sport, but end up with the short end of the stick when it’s all said and done. They’re not even respected by the owners of the teams that they dedicate their lives too.

It’s actually pretty ironic and quite disturbing that these owners despise African Americans while they have teams full of them.

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, has also come under fire recently for his racial remarks. He essentially stated that he would fear for his life if encountered by a black male wearing a hoody, or – to balance out this statement – a white male with several tattoos on his face and body. 

Sterling and Cuban’s comments about race showed their disdain for African Americans and  reinforced the notion that racism is still alive. 

We expect more from those in positions of power, but are often disappointed. These owner’s pay these athlete’s incredibly well, and for that reason alone they seem to feel as though the playing field is leveled.

However, black athlete’s from poor families have it worst as most have no clue how to manage their finances, and end up penniless. Many are also plagued with irreversible brain diseases, injuries and other illnesses by the time they retire – there is a price they pay for the money they make. 

Photo: iStreamGuide

There are no mentors assigned to these young guys to help them transition into this new lifestyle. These owner’s obviously do not care about the future of these men because to them, each year there’s a new group of workhorses coming in to replace them.

These owners couldn’t care less about the future and livelihood of these young black men, as they are often punished more severely than their white counterparts for identical offenses.

Furthermore, the change will come when these young men start to take a look at the lives of those that came before them. As soon as these men begin to view their predecessors lives as examples of what to do, and what not to do, the game will change.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Photo: RapGenius

When I think of timeless music – specifically of my generation – one of the few albums that come to mind is Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Aside from her Live MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 album and her collaborations with The Fugees, this is Hill’s only studio album. 

Listen to it today and it sounds just as amazing as it did when it was the soundtrack to my youth. From conscious rhymes to ballads about the highs and lows of love, this album gives you everything and more and has stood the test of time since its 1998 release date. 

Doo Wop (That Thing)

Intro:

Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqeem
Yo, it's about a thing

Dīn (also Deen), is an Arabic term (دين) meaning “way of life” or “code of life” (Rap Genius). Sirat al-Mustaqim is an Arabic term for the Islamic concept of the straight path, or the way of life which makes God happy (it’s a quote from the first Surah in the Quran: Surat Al-Fatiha). 

During Hill’s intro to this record, she premises the song with the Arabic term urging women and men to always remember to stay on the straight path. 

V1:

It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins?
You act like you ain't hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend
Like you wasn't down and you called him again?
Plus, when you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him
If you did it then, then you'd probably fuck again
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass cause you're thinking it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl, respect is just a minimum
Niggas fucked up and you still defending 'em
Now, Lauryn is only human
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans
Come again
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

During her first verse, Hill details an unhealthy relationship between a man and a woman – from the woman’s perspective. The woman has given herelf up to a man who initially told her that he wouldn’t be there because he was all about making money. However, she still gave herself up to him anyway and now she hasn’t heard from him in three weeks. 

Ironically, this same woman used to brag about being righteous but fell prey to lustful ways. Lauryn encourages the young woman to respect herself because she too was once in that same situation. 

Hill also speaks about women who "sell their souls" to be in with the popular crowd by following trends – being promiscuous, wearing weaves and getting fake nails. 

Hook:

Guys you know you'd better watch out
Some girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing

V2:

The second verse is dedicated to the men
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men, come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (Like you got yen!)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids
And they face a court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
The sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
Quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men
How you gonna win when you ain't right within? (x3)
Come again
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

Hill’s second verse turns its attention from women to focus on men. The men who refuse to stay on the straight and narrow. Or those more concerned about rims and shoes than his women. The wild and reckless men who run off at the mouth, and are quick to pull the trigger. The pretenders – those who are careless with their money yet, they are still living at home with their mother. 

Or what about the fly dude who has never committed a crime, but is pretending that he’s done time in jail to build his rep? Instead of taking care of his children – by multiple women –  he’s living in a fantasy world and ultimately ends up facing child support charges. She insists that they stop having reckless sex, grow up and be men.  She alludes to the fact that these are the type of men who essentially lead women to “hate men.” 

She ends the record with the infamous quotable:

“how you gonna win, when you ain’t right within?”

Final Hour

V1:

I'm about to change the focus from the richest to the brokest
I wrote this opus, to reverse the hypnosis
Whoever's closest to the line's gonna win it
You gonna fall trying to ball while my team win the pennant
I'm about to begin it, for a minute, then run for senate
Make a slum lord be the tenant give his money to kids to spend it
And then amend it, every law that ever prevented
Our survival since our arrival documented in The Bible
Like Moses and Aaron
Things gon' change, it's apparent
And all the transparent gonna be seen through
Let God redeem you, keep your deen true
You can get the green too
Watch out what you cling to, observe how a queen do
And I remain calm reading the 73rd Psalm
Cause with all this going on I got the world in my palm
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

Probably one of my favorite Lauryn hill records, Lauryn details the highs and lows of success butultimately focuses on making sure that the listener keeps their eyes on the Most High. 

She raps “You can get the money, you can get the power, but keep your eyes on, the final hour”

In Lauryn’s first verse, she warms up and also brags a bit. The essence of the record isn't exhibited until the second verse. Lauryn begins to turn the listeners attention to what the actual song is about. She changes her focus from the rich to the poor. In doing so, she offers a new perspective to the ballads and stories she tells to her listeners. 

She explains that her goal is to "reverse the hypnosis” or in other words, awaken the masses. Hill closes the second verse by telling the listener that they can still get money, just be careful of what you cling to or worship. She references the "Dīn" again – like in doo wop – when she encourages the listener to keep their "deen true," or in other words keep your way of life pure.

Superstar

Intro:

Yo hip-hop, started out in the heart
Uh-huh, yo
Now everybody tryin to chart

Hook:

C'mon baby light my fire
Everything you drop is so tired
Music is supposed to inspire
How come we ain't gettin no higher?
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

V1:

Now tell me your philosophy
On exactly what an artist should be
Should they be someone with prosperity
And no concept of reality?
Now, who you know without any flaws?
That lives above the spiritual laws?
And does anything they feel just because
There's always someone there who'll applaud?
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

I think it’s crazy how this song still holds true today more than 10 years later. In fact, hip hop has become progresively worse in more ways than one. What was once an art form based on expression, which also helped to inspire and teach the people of the African American community has slowly been infiltrated and replaced with capitalist values. 

The hip hop of yesteryears, had a distinct balance of "conscious" and "party" music; most artists were able to provide both. Since consumerism and capitalism have taken over the art from though, it’s one or the other. Often times, conscious rappers are labeled "underground rappers" because mainstream radio won't play their records. 

It’s sad and quite ironic that Lauryn's prophecy has come to pass, tenfold. The music of today no longer inspires or even lasts longer than a few months. I really wonder how much of today’s music we'll be able to honestly enjoy 20 years from now. 

There aren't too many Lauryn Hill’s, Slick Rick's, Earth Wind and Fire’s or Rick James’ of today’s generation. Our artists are here today and gone tomorrow becuase they solely do it for the money and not a genuine love for the craft and desire to inspire future generations. 

V2:

I know you think that you've got it all
And by making other people feel small
Makes you think you're unable to fall
But when you do, who you gonna call?
See what you give is just what you get
I know it hasn't hit you yet!
Now I don't mean to get you upset
But every cause has an effect! Uh-huh!
[Lyrics: RapGenius]

Unfortunately we’ve gone into an era of braggadocio rap, where no one is really saying anything worth listening to outside of a club or party setting. No one is encouraging the listener to think or to change for the better. 

It’s always about who has more of something. Lauryn questions these particular artists when she asks who are you gonna call when you fall? These artists have since spent most of their careers bragging in order to make other people feel small or less than human. They may not understand this now, but like Lauryn says "every cause has an effect" and one day the tables will turn. 

Rape Culture and the Dehumanization of Women in India

Photo: CNN

“Don’t tell your daughters to dress well, teach your sons to respect women"- protestor 

Rape in India is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012 (Wikipedia).

Several rape cases in India received widespread media attention and have triggered protests since 2012. This led the Government of India to reform its penal code for crimes of rape and sexual assault (Wikipedia).

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student went to a New Delhi mall with her male friend. After seeing a movie, they boarded a bus at a major intersection. The driver of the bus and at least five other men on the bus were drunk at the time. These men dragged the woman to the back of the bus and beat her male companion.

Police say the men took turns raping the woman, going so far as to also use an iron rod to violate her. The men then drove around the city for almost an hour, dumping the two victims by the side of the road. The 23-year-old student died at a hospital two weeks later in Singapore. Her injuries had been so severe that some internal organs had to be removed.

On September 14, 2013, the court sentenced four men to death for the gang rape and murder of the student. Death sentences issued by Indian courts previously had rarely been carried out within the past decade. 

However, the judge of this case, Yogesh Khanna, said that the crime fell into the “rarest of rare category”, thus deserving capital punishment. Two others have been accused, though one of these two men was found dead in his jail cell in March 2013 and another has been sentenced to three years in a special juvenile correctional facility, having been seventeen at the time of the crime.

This deadly assault has had a widespread impact in India, setting off demonstrations and igniting debates not only about the treatment of women in Indian society, but also about tougher punishments for sexual abuse.

Photo: CNN

Especially after this New Delhi attack, protesters are demanding better treatment of women while condemning the apathy of the police and judicial system. 

There has been widespread, worldwide concern about women’s safety and inequalities. The government has already passed tougher anti-rape laws, introducing the death penalty for repeat offenders and imprisonment for acid attacks, stalking, and human trafficking. 

Furthermore, public servants (including but not limited to police officers) who “knowingly disobey” the laws required in an investigation are also subject to punishment.

It does not stop there though. While the laws have changed, the general objections to women and the prevalence of a perverse rape culture have not. 

In May 2014, another alleged gang rape and murder occurred in India — this one involving two teenage sisters whose bodies were found hanging from a mango tree.

The two girls, ages 14 and 15, were killed in a village about 140 miles east of the capital New Delhi.

"They reportedly had gone to a field to relieve themselves but never returned," NPR’s Julie McCarthy says. "Like hundreds of millions of Indians, they lacked a bathroom at home."

The Associated Press says: "Hundreds of angry villagers stayed next to the tree throughout Wednesday, silently protesting the police response. Indian TV footage showed the villagers sitting under the girls' bodies as they swung in the wind, and preventing authorities from taking them down until the suspects were arrested."

Furthermore, when reporting sexual attacks, women are often subject to a process that “heaps shame, fear, and guilt on them,” the president of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, Ruchira Gupta said.

This is not an issue only present in India. The World Health Organization is now calling for an increase in global “women-centered care”. According to Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general, violence against women is a “global health problem of epidemic proportions” (Globalvow).

  Video: CNN

Featuring: Andre 3000

Photo: Soul Culture

Andre 3000 – half of the duo Outkast – should easily make it in the list of any hip hop fans’ list of favorite rappers. Producer, rapper, actor and singer, Andre does it all – and with much style and storytelling genius to accompany it all. 

Though he has played the background these past few years while his group-mate Big Boi has released several albums since their last one together – Speakerboxx...The Love Below – Andre has made several appearances since then. Andre’s presence hardly goes unnoticed on any record that he graces as his style is undeniably witty and eccentric. 

Even on his records with Big Boi, Andre always had a way of commanding your attention. A way of telling a story so vividly that it places you right there. 

Photo: 2K Music

The Art Of Storytellin' Part 4" (Feat. Outkast & Marsha Ambrosius)

V1:

So I'm watchin' her fine ass
Walk to my bedroom, and thought to myself
"That's the shape of things to come"
She said, "Why you in the club, you don't make it precipitate?
You know, make it rain when you can make it thunderstorm?"
I'm like, "Why?"
The world needs sun
The hood needs funds
There's a war going on and half the battle is guns
How dare I throw it on the floor
When people are poor
So I write like Edgar Allen to restore - got a cord
Umbilical attached to a place that can't afford
No landscaping, or window draping
This old lady told me
If I ain't got nothin' good, say nathing
That's why I don't talk much
I swear it don't cost much, to pay attention to me
I tell like it is, then I tell it how it could be
The hood be
Requesting my services
Oh don't get nervous it's
Step yo game up time
These ain't them same old rhymes
Designed to have you dancin' in some club
Niggas ride to me women be off in they tub
Ex-foliating with they poms-poms
Yelling, "Go 3000!"
I'm in my whatever bumpin' N.W.A
"A 100 miles and"
Runnin' Runnin' Runnin' Runnin'
Summon
Woman
Come in
Sit down, heard you need some plumbin'
Done in
I'm in
A swell mood
A rather swole mood
Until she told me that she told dude
That she'll be back, she's going to the store
I didn't know she had a boyfriend, so the door
I pointed her to
I said, "Call me when ya'll break up"
"I don't fuck nobody bitch
And never owned a Jacob," know what time it is
Nigga just
Tryin' to live like a Nigga supposed to live
If I still drank that malt liquor
I'd pour the beer
On the ground for niggas not around;
I started off starvin'
Now they got me out here Brett Favre'n
Trynna' see if I still got it... (got it...)
I guess it's like a bike think about it...
[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

One of my favorite Andre verses – there’s so many – andre gives you more than one reason to write home about this verse.  In this version of the 4-part series of “storytellin’,” ‘Dre details an encounter and conversation that he has with a woman. 

When she asks him why he doesn’t “make it rain” in the club like most rappers who foolishly throw away their money, he explains to her that though he has had mainstream success, he has not forgotten about his foundation. He hasn’t forgotten the neighborhoods in which he grew up and how he could barely afford to survive, so why would he throw it all away now? Just like a baby attached to it’s mother by the umbilical cord,

Andre is still connected to his youth and neighborhood. So instead of abiding by the typical rapper persona, ‘Dre uses his money and poetic words to restore the community in order to help build and not tear it down by being wasteful. He continues to “tell it like it is, and it how it could be,” by continuing the conversation with the woman he started the verse out with. 

Not only is he a great rapper, he’s also a stand-up guy. Unlike every other rapper today who glorifies breaking up happy homes, Andre excuses the woman after finding out that she has a boyfriend, and lied to her boyfriend to kick it with ‘Dre.

Photo: Wikipedia

Chronomentrophobia

At some point in time or another, I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’ve all had that anxious feeling that we’re racing against time. There’s so much that we want to do before we leave this earth, and Andre discusses this fear of time in one of my favorite records, Chronomentrophobia.

[Verse 1]
High as the cost of living
I take what I've been given
Pastor say "be strong"
Ooh hey hey
I ain't got time leave me alone
I ain't got much time left
I've got to funk you now
[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

Though very short, Andre begins the first verse by stating that he’s trying to make the best of the life that he’s been given. However with that, he feels as though he may not have time to live the life that he wants. He even prays and talks to his pastor about it, but it just isn’t enough. 

[Verse 2]
Lord be havin mercy on my soul
I'm havin the impression that my life gon be a bowl
Of cherries but its very hard for me to cope
Got tired of bein broke
This ATLien ain't got no time to sit and mope
Made up my mind while y'all made up y'all beds
On a cold wooden floor is where I laid my head
Born in 1975 never thought I'd make it this far
Still battlin in this racial war
Tryin to find solutions to the situation I'm facin
Only thing thats free is my flow that y'all be chasin
Lettin my niggas know before I go I drop that knowledge
Like droppin books lets stop the crooks
From robbin you of your brains and such usin welfare as a crutch
I'm in it for good you into my hood you won't be findin much
Hope that when I'm gone y'all remember this
What we stood for "fuck that fame and that glitz"
It's beginnin to look a lot like the endin
And got to be more careful know what corners you be bendin
Revelations gettin impatient and now I'm dead
Remember what I said I'm gone bow ya heads
[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

The second verse is more extensive and Andre really takes the time to delve into his fear of clocks and time. He explains in the opening lines that he thought life would be more simple than what it is “I’m having the impression that my life gon’ be a bowl of cherries but its very hard for me to cope, got tired of being broke...” Even though life hasn’t been as grand as he’d hoped, he refuses to sit around and complain about it. 

Overall, I feel as though this record is about more than the fear of time, but of premature death. All we really have in this life is time, and as the saying goes, “time is money.” Time is that and so much more though. It’s what we do with our time that makes it invaluable. There’s so much that we all want to do, but the key to accomplishing what we want is staying at it and not falling prey to distractions and various other hindrances – including racial war that andre references.

Photo: TheMusicNinja

Sorry (T.I. Featuring Andre 3000)

Easily one of my favorite Andre verses is his most recent feature on T.I.’s “Sorry.” The songs general theme is being sorry for your past mistakes and tribulations, and though T.I. delivers two notable verses, Andre completely takes over the song with his captivating verse.

V3:

What it ain't, What it is? 

Even if you gotta live
I learned that apartment is way more exciting than a big ass house on a hill
I used to be a way better writer and a rapper
When I used to want a black Karmann Ghia
Now a nigga speeding in a Porsche
Feeling like I'm going off a course
Cut these fuck niggas off
Negative in my life, scream that till I'm hoarse
Duck these get the f**k off me projectiles, b***h he ain't really got a choice
I'm living my life live yours
I don't even like rapping fast, but that's how the world come to me
Talk to me sideways nigga that's your ass
Slow it down, this that shit that'll make you call your momma
Say hey I'm sorry for begging for all them clothes you couldn't afford
And this the type of shit that'll make you call your rap partner
And say I'm sorry I'm awkward, my fault for fuckin' up the tours
I hated all the attention so I ran from it
Fuck it if we did, but I hope we ain't lose no fans from it
I'm a grown-ass kid, you know ain't never cared about no damn money
Why do we try so hard to be stars, just to dodge comments
And this that shit that'll make you call your baby mama
When you gone on half a pill, don't know why but that's how it is
Then you take a flight back to the crib, y'all make love like college kids
And you say all the shit you gon' do better, we can try this shit again
'Round the time the dope wear off, you feel stupid, she feel lost
That's dopamine, I mean dope, I mean you think Cupid done worn off
Waiting in the hallway with her arms crossed
Baby boy face full of applesauce
Maybe should have stayed but it ain't yo fault
Too much pressure, I peel off, I'm sorry
Was young and had to choose between you
And what the rest of the world might offer me, shit what would you do
Well I'd probably do it differently if second the chance
Only if some cool ass older man would've let me know in advance
There's this quarry, that is dug so deep in a father's chest
When he feel that he's broken up his nest
And he figured shit he was just doing the best that he could
Which end up being the worst that he could
And all some pussy nigga on the internet can say is that verse ain't good
It's boring? Boring? Really?

Well I'm disgusted with this world and I can hardly breathe and
Told so many lies, don't know what to believe
I discussed it with this girl, and this is what she said
She said, "Lay down baby, baby, rest your weary head up"
A lovely distraction but my mind don't wanna rest
But my body disagree so I laid up on her breasts, yes
"Ooooh, you so fucking fine"
I woke up the next morning with new purpose on my mind

Ooooh, who pulls your ponytail
Who knows your body well huh?

[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

Wasting no time, Andre gets right into it as he speaks about the down sides to success – specifically success within the entertainment industry. We’ve all heard various successful artists speak on their admiration and appreciation for the days when they “couldn’t” – the days pre-success where they once struggled. It’s what inspired and fueled their passion. Even though things weren’t the best financially, those were probably some of the best days experienced. But once you’ve made it, you’re now looking for something else to drive you. Something else to fuel your hunger and love for the craft aside from material possessions.

He further explains this with the bars that follow where he talks about being a better rapper back in the days when he “used to want a black karmann ghia - which is a volkaswagon. “ he had something to work towards. But once the money and fame comes, you find yourself looking for inspiration, because what yu once wanted, youve attained, now you want – need – something fat. 

On the flip side, ‘Dre begins to talk about other things he’s sorry for. Like begging his mother for clothes and things that he didn’t need, and things that she couldn’t afford. Unbeknownst to him the struggle of survival his mother had to endure, he just wanted to be cool. But being older now and understanding life as a parent, he regrets his selfish ways as a child. He also speaks on his rumored beef with group mate Big Boi. Andre admits that he’s a bit odd and quirky, but through it all his unequivocal passion has always been for the music itself and not the money and fame. And once it came, it turned him off and away from the business. Hence, his disappearance from the industry. 

Last, he ends his verse by speaking on his brief relationship with artist Erykah Badu. He apologizes for leaving her during her pregnancy, as he was under too much pressure. He thinks the world could’ve offered him more than staying with her and his son, but he regrets not staying with her. He further explains that he never had a father figure giving him advice while growing up, so he didn’t know any better. So when he left them, he felt as though he was making the right decision, but looking back at it he feels otherwise.

Dr. Maya Angelou: The Phenomenal Woman

Photo:CNN

On May 28, 2014, legendary author and Phenomenal Woman Dr. Maya Angelou died at the age of 86. She died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Wednesday, said her literary agent, Helen Brann. 

“Angelou passed quietly in her Winston-Salem home before 8:00 a.m. EST. Her family is extremely grateful that her ascension was not belabored by a loss of acuity or comprehension. She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace. The family is extremely appreciative of the time we had with her and we know that she is looking down upon us with love,” written in a statement from her family. 

Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture.

Overcoming racism and sexual abuse, today Angelou is hailed as a global renaissance woman. Dr. Angelou is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.

Angelou spent her early years studying dance and drama in San Francisco, but dropped out of school at age 14. When she was 16, Angelou became San Francisco's first female streetcar driver.

She later returned to high school to get her diploma. She gave birth a few weeks after graduation. While the 17-year-old single mother waited tables to support her son, she developed a passion for music and dance, and toured Europe in the mid-1950s in the opera production "Porgy and Bess."

In 1957, she recorded her first album, "Miss Calypso." In 1958, Angelou became a part of the Harlem Writers Guild in New York and played a queen in "The Blacks," an off-Broadway production by French dramatist Jean Genet.

"I created myself," Angelou once said. "I have taught myself so much." Angelou spoke at least six languages and worked as a newspaper editor in Egypt and Ghana.

Photo:CNN

Affectionately referred to as Dr. Angelou, the writer never went to college. But she has more than 30 honorary degrees and taught American studies for years at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

Oprah Winfrey called Dr. Angelou her "mentor, mother/sister, and friend since my 20's." "

She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life. The world knows her as a poet but at the heart of her, she was a teacher. 'When you learn, teach. When you get, give' is one of my best lessons from her," Winfrey said. 

"But what stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it's how she lived her life. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace. I loved her and I know she loved me. I will profoundly miss her. She will always be the rainbow in my clouds."

President Obama remembered Angelou on Wednesday, saying she was "one of the brightest lights of our time -- a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman."

In Los Angeles, iconic music producer Quincy Jones said he was saddened to have lost a "dear friend, colleague and sister."

Despite her impressive resume, Maya Angelou is one of the most banned authors in U.S. history. So controversial is she that she was ranked #3 on the ALA’s top 100 list for 1990-2000 and #6 for 2001-2010. She has placed in the top 10 every year for the past decade.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the autobiographical telling about the writer and poet’s early years. It is a story that demonstrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. The book begins when three-year-old Maya and her older brother are sent to live with their grandmother and ends when Maya becomes a mother at the age of 17. 

Through the years Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-assured, dignified young woman who is commanding as a civil rights activist.

Photo: CNN

Angelou’s autobiography explores subjects such as identity, rape, racism, and literacy with intelligence and sophistication; she also writes about the state of women’s lives in a male-dominated society.

In 2011, TIME magazine named the book one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since the beginning of the publication in 1923. It has been used in high schools and universities, and the book has been celebrated for creating new literary avenues for the American memoir. 

However, the book’s graphic portrayal of childhood rape, racism, and sexuality has caused it to be challenged or banned in some schools and libraries – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has had thirty-nine public challenges or bans since 1983 (bannedbooks.world.edu).

"You have no idea who you will inform because all of us are caged birds, have been and will be again," she said in 1998 at a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign. "Caged by somebody else's ignorance. Caged because of someone else's small-mindedness. Caged because of someone else's fear, hate and sometimes, caged by our own lack of courage." (CNN)

Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.   

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman” from And Still I Rise. Copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. 

Used by permission of Random House, Inc.

Source: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (Random House Inc., 1994)

Photo: CNN

Common - The Dreamer (Feat. Maya Angelou)

"Love Liberates"                                                   

Words of Wisdom

NaSty: The Best of Nas

     Photo: HipHopFightsBack.com

           some people really are...still dreaming            

                                

 Still Dreaming 

(Featuring KanYe West & Chrisette Michele)

     

V2:

How you a man waitin' for the next man to get rich

Yo' plan is to stick out yo' hand real quick? 

So if he feed ya family and he serve you shit

Then he need that head you get and he deserve your b***h 

Since you wishin' cash fall from the sky all ya life

Dwellin' on the past when you was alright 

When you was gettin' cash but wasn't too bright

Now ya luck down you feel like bustin' them shells 

Nobody owe you, can't do nothin' for self

Want niggas to show you, how to come up wit' green 

I schemed since I'm 14s, what the f**k was your dream?

Rental cars, little broads, sayin' you was seen 

With little niggas, little chain, you was doin' ya thing

How high was I? 

You the thousandth guy 

That came around thinkin' we can see, eye to eye

We on a different echelon, coulda got bread together 

Now you gets deaded on

[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

       From NaS’ eighth studio album Hip Hop Is Dead, released December 15, 2006 on Def Jam Recordings (Wikipedia). NaS’ first verse speaks about a man, or men in general who are “dreaming.” Who’ve either had it all and lost it, or who merely plan to live the rest of their lives looking for handouts from the next man. He talks about those who at one point had money, but wasn’t too bright when they had it and eventually lost it all in bars 6-8. Since they no longer have the money they once had, they’re now back at square one committing petty crimes to get money. NaS compares himself at age 14 to his counterparts, stating that he always had bigger dreams, even as a kid. "Scheming” even, while others had smaller dreams like stuntin’ in rental cars, and spending money on jewelry and women, just to be seen on the scene. He ends the verse saying that now, those same guys are down to nothing while NaS continued to work at something bigger. Now they want to be down with him...still dreamin’

Photo: ek-lec-tik.com

   life's a b***h, and then you die...
                                                   

   Life's a B***h 

(Featuring AZ)

V1:

Visualizing the realism of life in actuality

Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary

And my mentality is money-orientated

I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it

Cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as 5 percenters

But somethin' musta got in us cause all of us turned to sinners

Now some rest in peace and some are sittin' in San Quentin

Others such as myself are trying to carry on tradition

Keeping this Schweppervescent street ghetto essence inside us

Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us

Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go

But as long as we leaving thievin'

We'll be leavin' with some kind of dough, so

Until that day we expire and turn to vapors

Me and my capers, will be somewhere stackin' plenty papers

Keeping it real, packing steel, getting high

Cause life's a bitch and then you die

[Lyrics: Rap Genius]

   From NaS’ debut studio album Illmatic, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records (Wikipedia). As dope as NaS' verse is, it's impossible to ignore AZ's presence on this record. Not only is AZ the only artist featured on this album, it was also his debut verse, which subsequently jump started his career. While NaS' verse focuses primarily on his own life, AZ's verse is so pure because he provides a broad view of his perspective on life in general – specifiacally life in the hood. My favorite lines are bars 4-6 where AZ declares that his peers who didn't make it will live on through him. He further reflects on how things have changed over time, and how the people in the community have gone from going from 5 percenters (The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths, is an American organization founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, by a former member of the Nation of Islam named Clarence 13X) to sinners – “something must have got in us.” He closes the verse by continuing his message of working hard, making money with his team and living right because simply put, life’s a bitch, and then you die.

Photo: soulculture.com

wheres the love?

                                                   

 Where's The Love

(Featuring Cocaine 80s)

V1:

At times I window watch at the Wynn hotel

Lots of thinking happens in life, will I win or fail?

Mind of a shooter, CFO also

Ethiopian food flown in, it's unlawful

Money is attractive, honey dress strapless

Agent Provocateur underwear: she's classic

Stroll up in the party: titanium black card

Romanian ladies like Casablanca, Casbah

'Cept we in the VIP area, that's ours

You know the real rap gods, typical trap star turned rap star

These old heads got stories, the days they was kings

I pray secret indictments don't take away their dreams

You 16, you could do 20, come home young

Catch 20 years when you 40? Holmes, you're done

What have we become? Rap stars from trap stars

Black gods to Ansars to Sunnis back to goonies

A 360 in the streets real grizzly

Shooters is cold, kid, the old shit was learning

Student enrollment to focus, yet hooligans roll with

Toasters to pop your medullas off of your shoulders

This ain't the Truman Show; it's the human show

Ask the F.B.I. agent at his cubicle

Chewing on his pencil eraser with intents to erase you

It's U.S.A. against the gangsta, where's the love?

[Lyrics: rap Genius]

   From the deluxe edition of NaS’ eleventh studio album Life is Good, released July 13, 2012 on Def Jam Recordings (Wikipedia). Even though the strength of both verses is impeccable, NaS lays the foundation for the entire record in the first verse of song. The opening of the first verse delves into the allure of money, women, and the perks of being a successful rapper. A few bars later however, NaS provides the flip-side to that same lifestyle; highlighting that it can be a trap as well. He questions what these artists have become. From black gods to Ansars (Islamic for 'helpers') to drug dealers and rappers. From Sunni’s (another branch of Islam, which also refers back to the Five-Percenters) back to goonies. NaS sheds light on the cycle of good and evil that plagues young black men. he ends the first verse with the same lines as he ends the second one:  

“This ain't the Truman Show; it's the human show

Ask the F.B.I. agent, at his cubicle

Chewing on his pencil eraser, with intents to erase you

It's U.S.A. against the gangsta, where's the love?

NaS closes the verse with the 4 lines that gave this song meaning. He exposes the incessant yet covert agenda of the F.B.I. and their involvement with the arrests and killings of rappers.