I've always been pretty firm believer that karma does not exist. Bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. We should just treat people better. It shouldn't be because our good deeds will pay off in a week. I do believe in God, but I don't think the universe is keeping score. However every once in a while, my theory is tested. On Tuesday I spent most of the day hunched over in my bed, because I was experiencing hell in my lower abdomen. I didn't eat anything bad. I didn't have the cha cha's and I didn't have gas. It was sharp painful spasm that was on and off for about 24 hours. I don't have health insurance so I did the next best thing. I googled it. I discovered I had problem that somehow doesn't have any useful treatments. I laid there thinking "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" As I walked to work on Wednesday in the snow I asked myself the same question again "What did I do?" A little montage ran through my head. The guy I saw on crying in the rain; and me laughing. I also thought of Yami and I watching video after video of people getting hit by cars. Suddenly I was on the street, hunched over again. My stomach aching; because I couldn't stop laughing.
"I've always been considered an asshole for about as long as I can remember. That's just my style." -Royal Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenebaums, 2001
it was featured in an exhibition called "Chocolate Saints...Sweet Jesus". He also recently made a scary sculpture of Obama as Jesus. Oh yeah, and this ham in a bed. I dont get it either.
yesterday yami and I listed our favorite rappers. Then we created a way to score them, and then ranked them. On a 1-5 scale we scored them based on lyrics, flow, consistency throughout career, and cleverness (we needed another category).
Melissa's List rapper: scores: total personal favorite song 1. Nas: 5-5-5-4: 19"made you look" 2. Andre' 3000: 5-5-4-5: 19 3. Jay-z: 4-5-4-5: 18 "takeover" 4. Mos Def: 5-5-3-5: 18"new world water" 5. Lil Wayne: 3-5-5-4: 17"sky is the limit""dont touch me remix" (where the name of this blog came from) 6. Biggie: 4-5-4-4: 17 "gimme da loot" 7. Common: 5-5-3-4: 17"resurection" 8. Kanye West: 3-4-5-4: 16 "lollipop remix" 9. Lauryn Hill: 5-5-1-5: 16 "fu-gee la" 10. Busta Rhymes: 4-5-3-3: 15 "scenario" & "scenrio remix" 11. Method Man: 5-5-2-3: 15 "M E T H O D man" 12. Ghostface: 3-5-3-3: 14 "you know i'm no good" 13. The Streets: 5-4-2-3: 14"all got our run ins" + Entire "a grand don't come from free" album
Yami's List
1. Lil Wayne: 5-5-5-5: 20 2. digable planets: 5-4-5-5: 19"dog it" 3. Mos Def: 5-5-5-4: 17 "mathemtics" 4. RZA: 5-4-5-4.5: 18.5 "liquid swords" 5. Jay-z: 4-5-4-5: 18 "its alright" 6. camp lo: 5-5-3-5: 18 "luchini" 7. Ghostface: 5-5-3-4: 17"guns and razors" 8. de la soul: 4-5-3-5: 17"stakes is high" 9. T.I. : 5-5-3-4: 17"Bring em out" 10. cool kids: 3-4-5-4: 16 "black mags" 11. kurtis blow: 5-3-5-3: 16 12. The clipse: 5-3-3-2: 13"zen" seriously. Not even gridin... 13. Kanye west: 5-1-2-4: 12"can't tell me nothin"
Yami didn't even want to list Lil Wayne because she has a problem admitting she likes him. However she easily gave him a 5 in every category. He was the only person on both lists who got a perfect score. She also tried to dispute my decision to score Andre' 3000 and method man so high. I believe her list has been completely discredited with the addition of the Clipse. We all liked grindin, but come on. She wanted to give them a higher score for consistenc, but i refused.
"Afro American Express" by Hank Willis Thomas, 2004 "Untitled (Negro Sunshine)" by Glen Ligon, 2005
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
The year 2008 has been over for about 8 days. Yami and I tried to think of our favorite moments, but never got around to typing them up before the year ended. We enjoyed getting lost in Baltimore; Yami telling some guy she would cut his balls off; Jessie Jackson wanting to cut Barack Obama's balls off; The Olympics; Latarian; The Dark Knight; Chicago; skipping class too much; A Practical Guide to Racism; admitting to others we like Lil' Wayne and many many more things. The biggest moment of this year was of course the end of the election. Barack Obama winning meant a lot to us. For more reasons then we can explain. Even though I was recently asked to do so at a party. Seriously. In front of a room of people, who were all atleast 10 years older then me, I was asked "What does the election of President Obama mean to you as a young African American woman?". I just wanted cake. The way I feel can best be explained by others.
Obama and the Discussion of Race
"It shouldn't be about race" is one the truest and most over-used statements made this entire election. It is true, but no matter how much we tried, it was on everyones mind. I know, we don't discuss race enough on this blog, but it's important to us. I don't care what you say. You do see color, and there is nothing wrong with that. It's how you treat people based on their color that matters. We should recognize it, embrace it, and grow. One of the most honest and interesting analysis' of race was the November 2008 GQ article " Will You Be My Black Friend?" by Devin Friedman. It's a white guys perception of the relationship between Black and White people, and he wants to make some black friends. Surprisingly it is neither cheesy or offensive. It is insightful and made me hopeful. It is possible to have a meaningful discussions of race, withouy one side shying away or becoming offensive. It's difficult, uncomfortable and absolutely necessary.
Here is a little part of the article to remember when making black friends: "White folks might wonder: Will they be angry at me? (No.) Is it okay if I ask to touch their hair. (No.) What should I do when it comes time to shake hands? (This is a serious fucking question and is harder than winning a game of rock-paper-scissors.)"
Not surprisingly the most moving comment on race, was by the man of the year, Barack Obama. The controversy of Rev. Wright could have destroyed Obama's campaign. On March 18, 2008 President Obama delivered his speech "A More Perfect Union". Obama shadowed the spirit of great American Presidents like Lincoln, and defined our culture with words. This is the speech that (in my opinion) made him one of history's greatest. When he declared he was unable to denounce Wright because of all he gave him, I cried. Robot-soul Melissa, sobbed in front of the television. This displayed great character and courage. With the dream of millions around the world on the line, he fought back tears as he poured his heart out.
"I've always been considered an asshole for about as long as I can remember. That's just my style." -Royal Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenebaums, 2001
