I was only about 6 when I heard my first Michael Jackson song over the record player in my house. It came between the Julio Iglesias and Celia Cruz songs that echoed on a daily basis. A song in “Rock With You” that played at heightening levels, yet confused me because I was so used to hearing Spanish language music. I wondered considering I only spoke Spanish who this was.
Me: ‘Mom, Dad who is this?’
Parents: ‘Este es Michael Jackson. El Rey del Pop.’
At that time, I didn’t know how to dance to Michael. It wasn’t like it was Salsa or Merengue. I just decided to jump around in excitement as if I was in a mosh pit at a Nirvana concert. Years later, I saw him for the first time on screen with ‘Black and White.’ While I was still very young, I still understood the overall message. Years later, I comprehended it even more.
He was the first individual in popular culture who could bring groups of different people together. As Al Sharpton said: ‘He was a cultural icon. Michael made America accept us. He brought people together before Brown, Oprah, Tiger and Barack.’
MTV and radio stations across the country didn’t play Black artists until the King of Pop arrived. This exemplifies that Michael Jackson was more than just a singer, but a global icon who had the inate ability to bring people together who never thought they could share the same social spaces.
Throughout the years, we’ve all seen the ups and downs of Jackson. But through all the tough times, Michael was never found guilty of any charges. The only thing he was guilty of was being denied a childhood. A lost childhood which many in the media fail to empathize with; and refuse to acknowledge how it would’ve affected anyone’s mental stability as they grew up.
Unlike many, I choose to remember the Michael I know; the philanthropist and entertainer who lived a life we all wish lust for. One where we can accomplish all our dreams. That’s all we really want in the end. To be able to live a life where we are happy when we look at that person in the mirror.
When I got the news yesterday, I was just leaving work. As I walked through Times Square, I saw the pain on the faces of American citizens; but even more on the canvases’ of European tourists here on vacation. They looked at the big screen on 42nd street and saw the shocking news.
That right there was the impact of Michael Jackson. A global one. An impact that is not only felt on the day of his death, but the day after when everyone goes to pick up a commerative newspaper; the weekend after when his music is played non-stop on radio and in clubs; and centuries from now when his music will still rock our airwaves; even when those of his generation are no longer on earth, but with him in heaven.
As onlookers, we tend to look at celebrities as immortal. That’s how we viewed Michael. This may have been part of the shock of his death along with his young age. In interviews, he continously voiced that he never looked at himself as immortal. But he knew in terms of his music, mortality was never a goal. Immortality was all he ever wanted and he not only accomplished that with his music, but with his spirit which will forever be amongst us.
Nothing could compare to yesterday. Not anything since the unexpected 2007 NBA Title run when I believed we were destined to lose to the Suns before Horry hip-checked Steve Nash into the NBA Playoffs on TNT sign. Nothing.
June 24th, 2009 gave me the type of event that ‘might’ (I stress that work) make me forget about Fisher on Barry, Manu’s injury and Jason ‘The Paper Plane’ Terry running his mouth and spreading his wings all over the AT&T Center. But that all depends on the results it produces.
It was just another day at work. I was on AIM with a friend who’s a big Knick fan. We were going back and forth about how Brandon Jennings would handle NY if he was drafted here when he interjected:
‘Bro are you on ESPN.Com’
‘Not as we speak.’
‘Do you want to go or do you want me to break the news to you about the team I thought was finished?’
‘Which team? Wait, don’t tell me the Spurs made a trade? You can’t be enthusiastic about us if we got that salary cap killer Vince. Who is it?’
‘Welcome Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for Bowen, Oberto, and Kurt.’
Richard Jefferson?
My first reaction to this news was: ‘Isn’t this the same Richard Jefferson I couldn’t stand during the 2003 NBA Finals. The one that talks like he’s a top 20 player, but more like top 40-60 (but is 35th highest paid in league). The same RJ I called over-rated. The one who I lumped into the ‘Kidd Product’ category?’ Yes this was the RJ we traded for.
The second reaction was: ‘Alright Kurt and Oberto are gone. I know despite their minor contributions to our run, that we as Spurs fans never had much of an emotional attachment to them. But Bruce? Damn…we got to give up Bruce?’
Now any Spurs fan knows whether they are deep in the heart of Texas or up here in NY as I am, that there were three options for Bruce as we noticed in this years playoffs.
#1 Come back this year with the Spurs (if not traded) and play minimal minutes. Be a class act and wonder why Kobe, Lebron and company are torching Finely and Pop isn’t giving me minutes.
#2 Get traded this off-season because of my attractive salary.
#3 Get dumped at the trade deadline for some mega-star wing player or big man.
Option #2 and #3 occurred though I wouldn’t call the wing player we landed a ‘mega-star.’ But its better than having Vince shoot fadeaway threes for the next three years and become as cancerous as our fellow Texan and his cousin T-Mac right?
For all the joys of yesterday, sadness was an overwhelming emotion. When you’re a small market team, you are used to the same faces. These guys were basically part of my family. This wasn’t the Knicks or the Yankees; this was the Spurs. We don’t trade, sign, release. We sign and keep. I built a love/hate relationship with all these guys; but a lasting one in the end.
This was a team with the same 3 centerpieces for the last six years. A team who had a majority of their players from the last two championship runs. We can blame it on our small salary cap, but I put it all on the loyalty Pop and RC had for their players.
Many times throughout the last decade, we got sick of Pop depending on old, tired legs. We felt his loyalty to players who have run their course was laughable to outsiders and frustrating to us. But we didn’t say much when Finley played like he was 10 years younger the last two months of the season. When Oberto would show minor flashes through some important games; and when Kurt, despite his lack of lateral movement, still showed up and provided toughness and that soft jumper from 15 feet. But I still can’t wrap my head around the idea that #12 might be worn by someone else. Someone who can’t fill those shoes.
Now, before I go too far, let’s first rule out the scenario that he might return if Milwaukee buys him out. Let us not ever forget that this was the guy that gave us the answer to Kobe Bryant. A man who wasn’t afraid of him nor a guy 6 inches taller than him in Dirk. The man who rained 3’s on the Lakers in the playoffs that one year. A man who irritated every shooting guard in the league without saying a word to them. Let’s go down the list - Allen, Martin, Carter, Terry, Francis and McGrady. Everyone except Kobe was psychologically affected by him. Don’t forget his karate kid episodes with Amare and Paul. You just have to love him.
But most importantly, this was a man who has contributed to the local community and is as much a representation of our organization as our franchise player is. But at the end of the day, we can all be real with ourselves and say that Bruce was on his last legs. His defense wasn’t there, Pop took him out of the rotation, and his salary was coveted. What happened yesterday was expected. But there’s still the slight possibility that he comes back after the Bucks cut him and retires a Spur. It would be exactly what the basketball God’s want.
But the Basketball God’s haven’t shone brightly on us these last two years after securing close to half the titles this past decade. Everything from injuries (Manu) to refereeing (Barry’s foul) to last second fluke shots hurt us (Fisher). But has ‘change’ finally come to San Antonio?
Yes it has and its not in the presence of just Richard Jefferson, but the Spurs front office’ willingness to make a trade for a high-salaried wing player they’ve been petrified of doing for years. A come to grips realization that we can’t just depend on Manu or Fin-Dog to turn back the hands of time.
So in light of the trade, the question we now ask in jest is: ‘Did the Spurs pull a Chris Wallace on Milwaukee’s new GM David Kahn?’ Yes and No.
Yes because the impact Richard Jefferson can have on the Spurs; a team with already the best trio in basketball could result in a title.
No because the Bucks made a financial move that makes sense for them. They can either bring some veteran players in to mentor and mix in with their youth; or they can cut all these players loose and look forward to the 2010 free agent class. But who wants to go to cold Milwaukee anyway? Even with Brett Favre no longer in the spotlight, it doesn’t seem attractive.
The Pluses:
- Richard Jefferson provides us with an athletic swingman who has defensive ability. Is it the same as it was for the Nets when they were tops in PPA early this decade? No. He’s gotten older and he played in Milwaukee which will decimate anyone’s penchant for defense. But under the Popovich regime and with a chance to win a title, attitudes change. Just ask one of the NBA’s biggest knuckleheads, but Spurs resident angel Stephen Jackson.
- Despite his many years in the league, for the last two seasons (knock on wood), he has been extremely durable and hasn’t missed a game. This is extremely important for us especially considering how Pop loves to sit down Duncan at times; and how Manu has a lot of mileage on him. It gives us another scorer to depend on in these situations.
- He has playoff experience. You can’t buy that; just ask Orlando.
- Its only a 2 year deal. The deal ends a year before Duncan’s contract is up and if we want to make one last shot with TD again, we can trade him for another valuable piece.
Minuses:
- It basically scraps our 2010 summer free agent plan. The 2011 and 2012 free agent crop is weak and unless someone is demanding a trade we’d be interested in, then we’re stuck with this team for years to come.
Concerning this year’s class, It would be hard to bring folks to quiet, old San Antonio anyway. But, we did get a bunch of guys to come here for less like Finley, Hedo and Derek Anderson. AAt this point, all we can do is reel in someone with our MLE. Just please don’t let it be Rasheed. Please…
- So we are banking our championship hopes on RJ and possibly bringing some old dog, big man to support Duncan. Why am I bit pessimistic?
- So now we have a big four, but what else? Let’s be real - We don’t have any idea what Miahmini will provide us with. The only two options we know we’ll have off the bench depending on lineups is Manu/Mason and George Hill.
With a team like the Lakers and Denver, we have to go 9-10 deep atleast to counter them. I’m not sure we are there yet despite my belief we are the #2 team in the West right now.
- RJ is on the downside of his career. I know, I know, he isn’t being asked to do much in terms of scoring. But he’s been in the league for plenty of years and has been to the playoffs numerous times. As the years pass, we will notice he isn’t the high flyer he used to be. Oh, and God knows the man hasn’t learned how to pass a ball with Ramon Sessions or Jason Kidd as floor leaders with him for over half a thousand games. Passing is integral to our offense so let’s hope he is as unturnover prone as he was in Milwaukee.
- I think Pop and RC overestimated his 3 point shooting. Fine it was at 39 percent last year in Milwaukee. But is that something we can expect on a normal basis or is it a fluke? I don’t think Jeffersons 3 point shooting from all parts of the court will ever be as valuable to us as Bruce’s in the corner which was spot on.
The arrival of RJ should mean one thing and one thing only; that’s that we now have another slasher. Forget him buying property at the 3 point line. We haven’t had a high flyer since Derek Anderson. We need RJ to be the high flying RJ. Not the 3 point bombing RJ.
- I fear what this means for our beloved Manu. Does this mean if Manu has a stellar comeback year, we won’t be able to afford him? Is this the Spurs way of saying goodbye to possibly the most loved player in our franchise outside of TD and Drob ever? I sure hope it isn’t.
The last thing I want is the Spurs to look at this trade as a durability one and if Manu decides to walk, we have someone younger and more healthier than him. Look, I don’t care how much younger or more durable he is than Manu; when Manu is healthy, he’s a top 15 player in this league - like it or not he is. Just don’t let Manu go. He deserves to get his ransom and retire a Spur like Gwynn did with the Padres.
My biggest fear:
That our defensive philosophy is poof vamoose and Pop saw a bit too much of Stan Van Gundy’s Magic this offseason. If he thinks for one second that:
C Bonner
PF Duncan
SF Jefferson
SG Ginobili
PG Parker
will win us a title, then he’s as clueless as he was for points on the sidelines for some of this past post-season. I fear that lineup is starting to look like one we all detested:
C Diaw
PF Amare
SF Marion
SG Bell
PG Nash
Now we may be more talented than that lineup. But tell me you don’t see the similarities. To me, they are eerily similar and we all know how far those Phoenix teams went.
Look, I don’t mind seeing fast breaks, but I don’t want to see them half of the game either. I don’t want Duncan to become an afterthought in this offense. I don’t want Mason, Jeff, Manu and Bonner to become our Lewis, Turkoglu, Alston and Pietrus. I want no part of that.
The only reason aside from Manu being out that we didn’t beat Dallas is because we weren’t big enough. For God sakes, Ryan Hollins was screaming on us. Until we get help for Duncan and I’m not talking about scoring, but defensive help, we will not win another title. That’s a face.
Say what you want about Rasho and Nazr, but in those two title years, they did what was asked of them. With the Red Rocket Matt Bonner guarding the paint, there is no chance we will win another title. Not with Rasheed or Dyess either. We need a shot blocking big reminiscent of David in his older years. Not a outside shooting big man who is past his prime.
Let’s look at the options:
Steven Hunter, Mikki Moore, Ryan Hollins, Jamaal Magloire, Adonal Foyle, Theo Ratliff and Etan Thomas.
Now those aren’t the most attractive names, but all we need them for is rebounding, shot-blocking and to mentor Miahmini. If we don’t go after any of these guys, please let’s not draft another 5 year project center from Europe who will never sign with us i.e. Tiago Splitter.
In the end, its funny because everyone claims that with this trade the Spurs are now the #2 team in the West. But as Spurs fans, we all know, #2 isn’t enough. We were the #2 seed this year and look where it got us. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got far next year; but not as far as us spoiled Spurs fans are used to. We were never really interested in progress, but championships.
That folks is Claudio De Jesus Cabrera. He is who my grandmother’s and everyone in the family call “Claudio El Viejo,” because he’s the older Claudio. I get called “Claudito.”
For Father’s Day, I decided to give my dad the gift of a Broadway play. I sent him to see “In The Heights,” which we all know is about my part of town and the Dominican immigrants that inhabit them. I know they’ll have a great time.
Looking back on life, I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m one of the few minority men I know who had their father in the household all their lives. I just really don’t know how I would’ve turned out without the support of “two” parents.
As I grow older, I begin to see how much I look like him. Pure mirror images.
I appreciate my father because he taught me the value of hard work. He’s always let me be who I want to be. Never judged me and always believed in me.
So a toast to the man I like to call the smoothest dad in his 50′ and the best dressed middle-aged man in the Heights/Inwood. And I’ll continue saying the same as time marches on.
I love you and I wish you the best on your special day; and for making me into the man I am today.
“You are appreciated.” Tupac
P.S: R.I.P to my girlfriend’s father, Andre Brisard, who passed away two years ago. We all wish you were here.
This is where every friend of mine begins to say: “Claudio’s too much and he’s losing his mind.”
This ladies and gentlemen was impromptu as hell. My friend since Kinde-Garty, Melissa, of Def Jam fame, had one of those dope, sleek video cameras and said it was time to start shooting. She became a video-grapher in just a matter of seconds. And that my friends is when “The Dyckman Chronicles” were born.
Yesterday, me and one of my best friends, Dave, were chilling at Pizza Heroes eating slices. Dave got the beef pattie with cheese which is stellar over there. Wait…he didn’t get any coco bread though. How ain’t you get Coco Bread D? Whatever though…
This spot right here is a Dyckman landmark. Its owned by neighborhood Greek legends Johnny and George. Its located on the corner of Post and right next to the timeless Victor’s clothing store. If you from up here, you know what I’m talking about. If you are fairly new, like my buddy over at The Streets Where We Live, who asked me about this place the other day on Twitter, you need to make it here asap.
The other day, @manhattanspeak was raving about this place. She stumbled upon it while cruising through the hood.
Folks…its that good; greasy as an auto-shop, but good. If you from Harlem, where there’s like 1 pizzeria, you need to make it up here one day. Folks on the UWS, Murray Hill, Soho, Hells Kitchen and the outer boroughs; you - need - to - make - it - up - here.
Now, my taste buds may not match with everyone’s, but there’s two other pizzerias in Dyckman. One sells slices for a 1.00, while the other sells slices for 1.75. Pizza Heroes is damn near at 2.50 and no one complains one bit. Its that serious.
Anyways, this is just me jiving on camera with my buddies. All unprepared and everything. The future ones will be a bit more scripted with some fun ones and serious ones.
In the end, if you hear some of that ‘mira mira’ quick Latin talk of mines, its me mentioning the names: Espaillat and Martinez. They are both the councilmen and assemblyman of my district. Why do I mentioned them? Because recently, I received a bit of encouragement from some folks to run for office as early as this year. I said: ‘No.’ To me, that would be a bit corny considering I’d be riding that Landon/everyone wants to run for office wave. Not my style. Ill wait the four years.
I guess they want me to run because I understand the new Dyckman residents and the old ones. I’m Dominican, Spanish was the first language, young, educated and really love my neighborhood. So, I’m ’seriously considering’ (nothing official yet) a 2013 run for office against Miguel Martinez. I doubt he’ll want to stay in that position for another 4 years, (13-17) so I see myself battling a bunch of candidates trying to take his slot.
But, with this video, and the many more to come (joking and serious), have I ended my run before even starting it? Possibly. But hey, if someone with a middle name of Hussein can win public office six years after 9/11 in this country, anything is possible. Anything…
It was only a few months ago, when I was in the barber shop I regularly attend and walked into a conversation where a middle aged man and a few younger ones said they had no problem hitting a woman.
‘Si me encojona, le voy das si estoy en mala,’ said a few of them (If she pisses me off, I will hit her if I’m in a bad mood).
One man even said he beat his woman because of her refusal to straighten her hair and just keep it curly. And that touches on the whole hair issue, African roots rejection issue, etc that encompasses our culture as a whole on both sides.
The domestic violence conversation continued and I just listened. I didn’t speak. Kind of in shock even though I knew it was prevalent in the community. Four out of the 12 men at the barbershop ‘openly’ said they hit their women ‘if necessary.’ The other 8 were kind of tripped out by the openness of some of these individuals to admit this.
Close to a week after this, I was with my friends after leaving a club and saw a couple fighting on Nagle and Dyckman around 4am. The young man and woman were in a cab and an argument erupted. Next thing you know, they both got out the cab and the guy threw a kick at the girl knocking her down. The cab driver had to break it up. Sadly, in the end, the woman got back in the cab with the man and they drove off.
The next day, I began doing tons of research on this issue. I stumbled upon an older article in the Times focusing on this issue titled: ‘Beauty Salons take on Domestic Abuse.‘ It focused on domestic violence groups formed in salons that serve as a forum for these issues to be discussed. I was extremely happy to see that groups were being formed amongst our own to combat this problem.
But, with groups such as these, is there really a way you can effectively measure their success? Women can come to these weekly meetings and preach that they’ve called the cops or left abusive husbands. But that’s the story they tell in these meetings. No one knows what really goes on behind closed doors.
Now the last thing I’m here to do is criticize those networks. They are much needed in our community. But what I would like to know is what methods these networks employ? Offering video and picture evidence of women beaten and killed can change a woman immediately. Having weekly discussions about it can have an impact. But has that proven to be enough?
When I read the article, I still felt like there was more work to be done. Too many women, both young and old, felt it was OK to endure verbal and physical abuse. Whether it was because they had families that depended on their husbands financial support; or young women who seek out well off men and take the abuse it comes with to sit at the best tables in the local restaurants and clubs
(Click here to read further on money in the Heights).
When you come out to Washington Heights and Inwood; and I only say this because I grew up here; these are the two most familiar stories when it comes to domestic violence. There will always be your batterers who just get a kick out of hitting women. But in most cases, it has to do with money.
In most Dominican households, women work, but men are the breadwinners. For a woman to leave all of that (a man) and survive on a paltry wage with kids is a difficult idea for many to embrace. But don’t get me wrong, there are many examples of Dominican women who fight back. Mostly American born ones who have grown up in a country where the culture preaches its wrong to endure domestic abuse, but its laws don’t really represent that. More on that later.
Largely, in my experience, the majority of the victims are those who come straight from DR at a young age or older Dominican women. Women who don’t have a full understanding of the law and some could be illegal immigrants who fear deportation if they report crimes like these to the police. That’s why some of these women endure the physical and mental abuse, while others fight back. But sometimes, those who fight back, sadly, end up like Glendelis Pagan.
A young 19 year-old mother, who took out an order of protection on her ex-boyfriend three years ago when he attacked her with a hammer. Just last week, she was found dead in the closet of her apartment. Leaving behind a newborn who is old enough to remember her; but not old enough to comprehend death. A death at the hands of a man who murdered her; and proceeded to walk through the neighborhood ( Post, Academy, Nagle) as if nothing happened for hours.
When events like this occur, individuals on the outside take the Rihanna vs Chris Brown approach. They say: ‘What did Rihanna do to him to make him hit her?’ Instead of asking: ‘Doesn’t Chris Brown know that men shouldn’t hit girls?’
This was the overwhelming response from the people on the notorious NY Daily News comment boards. People blaming her for being a young mother; and also accusing her of clubbing while she’s supposed to take care of her child. All of these were assumptions made. But whether those assumptions are correct or not, no one deserves to be murdered.
Its sad, because when events of this magnitude occur in our Dominican community, we tend to brush it off as one ‘crazy’ individual. We put the candles in front of the building, mourn for weeks and wait for the next one to occur. We blind ourselves to what is occurring at our homes, to our friends, and in our neighborhoods. Domestic violence is not a problem in the Dominican community; its a huge problem in the Dominican community.
There can be all the neighborhood groups in the world dedicated to this issue. But frankly, there are two places where this issue can be fixed. First, it all starts at home with Dominican mothers. We need mothers who reject the machismo culture that in ‘most’ cases is part of the Latino package and the overall problem. A full rejection of this and an appreciation of themselves as a whole, and not just their bodies will be the beginning of the change that’s needed.
Self-esteem is a huge issue from young to old in our communities. Too many times, I find “some” Dominican women care more about their bodies than anything else. But, when your going back to the Dominican Republic to have surgery, I feel like most times it isn’t even for themselves, but to be more attractive to their fellow female friends and men. I really do believe that. I’ve seen women get surgery that they didn’t need just to entice men who had money. It’s really sad.
But, at the end of the day, no matter what is done by women all around the community, laws need to change when it comes to domestic violence. Let’s be serious here - orders of protection are useless. Battery should be labeled a crime whether its a small ring around the woman’s eye or she looks like Rihanna in that hospital photo. Its time our politicians, local (Martinez and Espaillat) and in our country, take what’s occuring in our communities seriously. Domestic violence isn’t just a Dominican thing; it happens to everyone across all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
We can’t wait for deaths to happen to call this the ‘Gladys Ricart’ domestic violence law or ‘Glendelis Pagan’ law. We need to take the lead on this so all men know that if you beat on your woman, serious time is in order. And these laws should not only apply to American citizens, but everyone living in this country, legal or not.
There were over 600 daily incidents of domestic abuse in NY City last year. There has been a 90% increase in police calls for domestic violence since 2002. The NY Domestic Abuse Hotline receives close to 400 calls daily on this subject. 118 homicides last year relating to domestic abuse. That, my friends, is way too much.
In final, too many women in this country are married to men everyday who have abused them or have shown signs that they are capable of doing so in the future. On their wedding days, like Gladys Ricart, these women actually think their wearing white. The color every woman is supposed to be wearing on their wedding day. But just like the death of Gladys Ricart in her bridal gown close to a decade ago, all these women aren’t wearing white on their wedding day; their actually wearing red…
*If you are a victim of domestic violence, call 311 and ask for the NYC Domestic Violence Hotline (800-621-4673*
So this past weekend, I went out with the Jersey Gang of E, Jay, Jason and Jess. I forgot the other dude’s name, but he was also cool. We went to see my first professional boxing match on the eve of the Boricua parade. It was well worth the money; great fight and people in the arena.
We had nice seats in the Loge section and the Puerto Ricans were out in full effect. At least 90 percent of the stadium was Boricua. Wait, maybe 95% and 3% other and 2% from Clottey’s hometown of Ghana.
The crowd was buzzing, the Ghana folk were dancing all over the place and showing pride in their countryman; and los Boricuas were just having the time of their lives jamming to every “Puerto Rico” that blared over the speakers.
Onto the fight…
When you watch it live in the stadium, it looked like Clottey could’ve won that fight. I personally felt Clottey lost, but he was robbed on one scorecard 116-111. What was that scorer thinking? Don’t know.
But when I sat down to watch it on HBO, I came to the same conclusion my friends did; Clottey didn’t do enough to convince judges against a champ; nor did he let his hands go. Too much Winky Wright in his approach. Cotto may have been running from round 6 on, but he still managed to keep away and land enough to win the fight.
Everyone was pretty down the middle too. A lot of the Ghana folk complained about the scoring, but most of them on both sides thought it was a great fight.
So what happened after? No, we didn’t hit cliche Boricua spots like Strata or Providence. We actually hit K-Town and ate some Korean Barbecue which was lovely. If I could remember the name of the place, I’d tell you to go asap. All I know is that its in some apartment building and on the second floor near 28th. Doubles as a lounge/restaurant.
Anyways, just so ya’ll know, and if interested in coming along, we will be in Vegas sometime next year for the big (we hope) Floyd v Pacquiao fight. If it doesn’t happen, we probably won’t go; but just wanted to give you the heads up. But, one things for sure, as long as its a good fight, I’m definitely going to the next one at the Garden.
Two Fridays ago, I came home from a long day of work and logged onto my Twitter account at about midnight. I was about to scroll through to see what people were talking about. To my surprise, I saw something I would never imagine seeing as the #1 trending topic and that was rapper Jay-Z.
While scrolling through the feeds, everything from those past two hours focused on Hov. Atleast 80% of the tweets. It was amazing and a true testament to arguably the greatest rapper of our generation and his legions of fans.
But what I failed to see once in those two hours was criticism. Every tweet I saw ranged from “Death of Auto-Tune” to “Na, Na, Na” to “Your jeans too tight, colors too bright, voice too light” and “Hip-Hop is alive once again.”
Most of them came from honest fans; but the rest came from individuals I didn’t expect much objectiveness from - the biased bloggers who would rather close their site than ever criticize the God MC.
But since DJ Mister Cee and Funkmaster Flex gave a memorable intro to his track; and his lauded performance at last weekend’s Summer Jam; the question I’ve been asking myself is: “What did Jay-Z exactly kill?”
Considering who he was on stage with at Summerjam, it obviously didn’t discourage T-Pain from continuing to use the voice box. Oh, but I forgot, the song doesn’t apply to T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. It only applies to folks like Ron Browz and DJ Webstar, who Jay probably felt were taking it too far. But these individuals took the technology and found a way to make money off it. Didn’t you once say you “Can’t Knock the Hustle?” So why are you knocking theirs?
As the song spread, the resentment for Jay-Z was evident from forum members to artists.
“He’s just mad because Browz produced Ether,” said one member of the SOHH.Com Hip Hop forum.
“He doesn’t let the youth do their thing. He can’t stop what the radio plays. A hot record is a hot record,” responded DJ Webstar.
In response to Webstar’s comments, Carter said: “He doesn’t know any better.”
But I actually think he does. Why? Because there has been no death. The only thing Jay accomplished with this song is to make himself look weak amongst Hip-Hop fans that can judge him objectively.
Frankly, you just can’t come out of nowhere and proclaim death onto a piece of technology, but not when your friends, who you seem scared to criticize use it. Especially considering when the majority of BP3, a month ago according to Kanye West, was comprised of the tool Roger Troutman made famous. Oh, and don’t forget that you are killing Auto-Tune, but collaborating on your lead single with Drake, who has used it numerous times as well.
And in the four days I’ve been following the talk about this song, the only criticism I heard is that the song may not be all that. I never heard anything from the new voices of Hip-Hop, the bloggers, about how Jay came back with a cliché, catchy named song that is no different than Nas naming a track and an album “Hip-Hop is Dead.” Both have the same purpose and that’s to spark controvery/buzz.
Not one blogger called Jay out. Ni uno. And my question to you bloggers is this:
“Why can’t you criticize Jay on something that he deserves criticism on?”
It’s not like you’re ever going to get the opportunity to interview Jay. Its not like this is 96 and he’s making the rounds on Public Access TV shows and today he’ll sit near a land-line to talk with every blogger on the net. No, that’s not happening. I just can’t understand how Hip-Hop fans I’ve spoken to can criticize Barack Obama; but when it comes to Jay-Z, their silent.
That’s the problem with Hip-Hop as a whole; from the unsigned artist to the freelance writer and blogger. They all want to fit in and don’t want to do anything to risk the chance of not gaining membership to a community of “Stans.”
These bloggers/writers aren’t even writing their own opinions. They are just following the general consensus because they don’t want to feel left out. They form their opinions from threads on forums and comment posts.
Now before you all get into a craze, this is not a Jay-Z hate fest. I’m a Jay aficionado. He’s probably my favorite rapper ever and the first album I bought was Vol 1 from the Music House store on Dyckman Street. A few months later, I purchased Reasonable Doubt, his first LP and I’ve never missed one since.
But when I think of “Death of Autotune,” I flashback to BP2 when Jay said:
“But I’m sorry Miss Rosie Perez/ I call a Spade a Spade/ It just is what it is…but you can’t give cred to everything dude says.”
That line was directed at Nas, but can also apply to Jay himself in this situation. So because he says something that means it stands? Now, don’t get me wrong, I rather hear Ron Browz and Webstar produce songs than sing on them. The same goes for some of the other acts who use “auto-tune.” But who is Jay-Z to say what belongs or doesn’t on the radio; or what is and isn’t Hip-Hop?
DJ Webstar: “He’s 40 years old; he doesn’t know what kids want to listen to.”
When Webstar made this statement, many people said he was ludicrous to say so. But it’s not that far from the truth. How many kids do you know that were pumping American Gangster more than the Carter III? Please tell me how many?
Maybe it’s because I’m in NY and some 17 year old kids here may listen to Hov. But outside of NY? There is a world outside of here you do know that right? Jay-Z ain’t on everyone’s radar like that especially at 17. Their generation is Lil Wayne. Our generation was Jay and those other great 90’s artists that made it into this decade.
I coach a HS basketball team in this city and I heard about Wayne 3x more throughout the season than I did Jay. Wayne was the craze before and after Jay-Z album dropped.
Really though, It just makes no sense to me how people allow Jay to play this role. Who made him in charge of the art and when was he awarded this position? It’s not like this piece of technology hasn’t produced some good songs outside of the trio he mentioned.
“Sexual Seduction” by Snoop Dogg.
“Pop Champagne” by Ron Browz.
There have been plenty of other songs that may not pass a “NY Hip-Hop” test, but are still enjoyable to me.
But, in the end, no matter what anyone says or what power you assign to him, this song is essentially worthless. Is it a good song? Its alright. But did it make the mark Jay wanted it to make? I think not.
A prime example would be what occurred last week while I was listening to Hot 97. “Death of Autotune” came on. Ironically, right after, they played “Dancing on Me.”
So Jay can wish whatever he’d like onto a certain piece of technology, but when kids half your age are the ones voting and calling radio stations for these songs; the power you thought you had is virtually non exisistant…
Whenever there’s a conversation about sports around the water cooler at work, I always find a way to join. I think anyone who passes by and hears an opinion he disagrees with or a topic he’s interested in, can’t resist from jumping in and exhibiting their perceived sports knowledge.
But the one part I dread of barging my way into a sports conversation is the eventual question: ‘So who’s your favorite sports team?’ When people ask me that question, I feel like I automatically have to spend 10 minutes justifying why I’m a fan of each team from the three major sports in this country. Its one of the most frustrating things about not being a sports fan of the teams in your home state.
The first conclusion people come to when I name all of my teams are:
- For your information, I didn’t become a Spurs fan when Sean Elliott threw the ball in the air at MSG as we celebrated our first title in 99.
- We all know there’s no reason to celebrate being a Lions fan; and I didn’t become one when we picked Stafford, either. But you are right when you think of Barry Sanders. But that provided excitement, not winning.
- As for the Padres, no, I did not jump on the bandwagon when Sterling Hitchcock, Joey Hamilton, and Kevin Brown decided to pitch lights out in the 98 playoffs. None of those were reasons that I became a fan of any of those teams.
But there’s more to it than that. I think not being born to American citizen with established roots in this country is a reason as well. I wasn’t born to generations of Red Sox fans. My parents barely had any TV in the Dominican Republic. The only games they saw were local ones. I was born to parents who followed teams in their home country, not here. My dad (Dominican) cheers for Las Aguilas, which is one of the two major teams in the Dominican Republic.
As much as he follows American sports and is knowledgeable, he didn’t make me a Knicks fan when I was young; nor a Yankee, Met, Giant, or Jet fan, either. He never had that attachment because he was so fresh to this country.
The only thing he was able to teach me was to make sure the people I looked up to in sports were good. It is no coincidence then that the reason I’m a fan of these three teams is because of David Robinson, Tony Gwynn, and Barry Sanders. Not only were they all tremendous athletes, but they all exemplified something my Dad wanted me to emulate; not only from him, but them, and that was class.
So when people accuse me of being a bandwagon, it befuddles me because I could’ve easily switched teams plenty of times. But, I chose not to because I’m loyal. I don’t root for the Spurs and when they get eliminated suddenly select a second team and say I’m going for the Blazers, as some would say. No! Whoever does that, frankly, needs their fan-hood revoked. I’m a firm believer in having one team. You can have numerous favorite players, but only one team. Whether they lose eight seasons in a row, you have to stick with them.
Ask a Clippers fan how sweet that 2006 run was when they forced Phoenix to seven. Ask a Rays fan how fulfilling that World Series appearance was last year. Ask a Cards fan who struggled through Bidwell’s thrift how much he appreciated the NFC Playoffs and this year’s Super Bowl run.
More times than not, all my teams have provided me with periods of disappointment just like the ones I previously mentioned. Let’s go down my list.
Detroit Lions
- The Scott Mitchell Era.
- The early Barry Sanders retirment.
- 0-16.
- The 58-37 loss to Rodney Peete’s Philadelphia Eagles about 14 years ago.
- Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, and Roy Williams.
- The Matt Millen era.
- Joey Harrington.
- Three straight seasons without a road win.
San Diego Padres
- The blown call in Game One of the 98 World Series when Randy Myers threw a third strike and it wasn’t called. Next pitch, Tino hits a Grand Slam that changes the whole tone of that series.
- Hoffman’s regular season dominance; post-season choking.
- The Cards’ 7-1 playoff record against us this decade.
- The Matt Holliday one game playoff robbery when he never touched home.
- The drafting of Khalil Greene.
San Antonio Spurs
- .4
- Sean Elliott’s kidney issues.
- Ginobilli foul on Nowitzki.
- Going 1-9 against the Lakers in 2001 and 2002 in the playoffs.
- Hakeem dream-shaking us out of the playoffs in Robinson’s MVP year.
- The Fisher non-call foul on Brent Barry.
- Manu’s 2008-2009 injury-plagued season.
You think it was easy to go through all those moments?
Let’s do some math: I became a sports fan in 1992. Out of 51 seasons (all three teams combined), I’ve tasted champagne four times. Now if you’re a Cleveland sports fan, you’ll probably ask me if we can trade places, but that won’t happen.
It’d just be nice for someone to accept someone being a fan of a team that could be a 3-5 hour plane ride away. There’s no reason in today’s world with all these League Pass programs and the internet, that I can’t follow the Knicks, Giants, or Yankees, the same way I do my teams. I could understand you being skeptical about someone in a pre-internet era; but even then, if they know their team, they know their team.
The sad part is that everyone wants to label themselves a sports expert and question how true of a fan you are. But when you run off more information about their favorite team than they know themselves, its embarrassing.
All in all, it doesn’t matter where you’re from or where you are. All that matters is how dedicated you are to the team you follow.
So, if I were ever to open a Spurs and Lions blog at the beginning of this year’s training camp, TV networks and popular sports websites may give me more credence if I’m in the home state of those teams. But, if I’m thousands of miles away and my coverage beats the coverage of their local beat writers minus the player quotes, they can’t deny me. They just can’t deny me…
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‘Blue eyes/ Brown skin/ It seems like we can never win. Sean Bell’s gone and Omar rests/ the boys in blue/ all want us dead.’
Those were the words written on a large white cutout last Thursday morning on the downton 2 train when I got on at 96th street. A middle aged African American man dressed in all black held the cutout; and although I wasn’t able to get his name, I knew where he was headed; the Bedford Stuyvestant section of Brooklyn where the NYPD was holding a memorial service for slain officer Omar Edwards.
It was a day of mourning. The NYPD lost lost one of its finest. A wife lost her husband and two young children lost a father they may never remember.
As the late night shooting spread across the internet and onto morning news broadcasts, Blacks looked at the death of Edwards as business as usual. But this time, the murder of a Black male had a different angle; Edwards was killed by a fellow cop.
In the days following Edwards’ murder, numerous quotes arose from unnamed Black officers who indicated they were not shocked by the shooting of one of their own. ‘We are not only fighting crime, but fighting the perception when we are out of our uniform that we are criminals as well,’ said one unnamed police officer to the NY Daily News.
Just last year, a Black NYPD police sergeant was stopped by two white officers and when he informed them he was a sergeant, they accused him of being a liar and got physical with him. Events like these where Blacks feel like they aren’t respected even in their uniform, make many uncomfortable in a job they’ve always dreamed of doing.
After the shooting, Rev. Al Sharpton called for a federal investigation, protests occurred in front of police stations, and even Harlem native, Congressmen Charles Rangel, said President Obama should fear walking through Harlem.
It was just but a few months ago that officers in San Francisco killed Oscar Grant and now admit there was no reason to fear him. A few years ago, Sean Bell was shot 50 times and New Yorkers will never forget the death of African immigrant Amadou Diallo in the narrow hallways of his Soundview apartment building.
The one common emotion in all of these deaths was fear. Amadou Diallo took out his wallet while Sean Bell allegedly rammed his car into a police vehicle. But did the same level of fear hit Officer Dunton that hit those cops on those fateful nights? Was the officer in question a racist or just acting ‘upon his experience’ on the job and employing the ‘kill or be killed’ mentality?
No one knows; and no will ever know what went through the mind of the officer in question. But, for a cop, who has patrolled the streets of Harlem and helped clean them up for years, is it fair to label him a racist? Every day, officers throughout the city get phone calls on their radio describing a Black and Latino suspect. Though this does not justify the murder of Edwards, it allows you to understand how powerful life experiences can be.
Throughout the years, many have called for people of the same color to patrol their own community. But its frankly impossible with the lack of Black and Latino cops on the force. And who’s to say that a Black man wouldn’t have made the same decision? Do we really expect more compassion and empathy from our own?
The death of Omar Edwards was a tragic incident because he was trying to fight crime when one was committed against him by a fellow member of his fraternity. For years, the NYPD has failed the minority residents of this city on these issues; and for a death of one of their own to push them into action is shameful.
Its time for the NYPD and other police departments across the country to stop trying to handle issues like race and the stereotypes that come with them internally. Its time to come to grips with the fact that the killings of all innocent Blacks have been because of a certain mindset cemented in their minds. There must be no more denials from Commissioner Kelly on the clear fact that minorities are viewed a certain way by cops.
The time has come for independent experts to train them on these issues. There also has to be an internal discussion with officers in the force of all colors. Despite how uncomfortable the conversation of race is in this country; and will be amongst fellow officers, its the only way similar situations will never occur again.
May 28th was a night of firsts. It was the first time Omar Edwards went after a suspect. Unfortunately for him, it was also the first time Officer Dunton happened to shoot his gun in the line of duty. Let’s hope it was a night of lasts’ as well.
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Some people will call this shoddy video-journalism. Some will say Max Blumenthal and his camera crew recorded the thoughts of 100’s of people and decided to only play the drunken racists they encountered. Those are all valid points.
But, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many people he interviewed and who he decided to put on the air. All that matters is that people like this still exist. Have your own political views and what not. That’s fine by me. But it should never stretch into degrading people because of their race or culture.
What saddens me even more is that this is coming from a group who faced one of the most severe periods of persecution in history because they were different.
