You're play-in Yourself 2005

Prop 1 & Prop2


If you’re rocking pink or purple anything, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you still read the source, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you listen to that ole sloppy station (97.1fm), you’re play-in’ yourself
If you’re name is Jim Jones, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you go by any name other than Puff Daddy, you’re play-in’ yourself
Bought a Dip Set album then, you’re play-in’ yourself
Still flagging in New York City, you’re play-in’ yourself
Still getting high, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you believe Pac is alive, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you still buying Pac albums, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you got Big Pun, Biggie or Pac on your shirt, you’re play-in’ yourself
Watching the Negro channel (BET) then, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you’re in the rap game getting extorted, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you think they are going to rebuild New Orleans, you’re play-in’ yourself
Working at the Strip club, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you give two shits about what Bill Cosby said, you’re play-in’ yourself
Think rap is the CNN of the streets, you’re play-in’ yourself
Didn’t already know “Why,” you’re play-in’ yourself
Still don’t know “Why.” you’re play-in’ yourself
If you’re under 40 and you read Jet or Ebony, you’re play-in’ yourself
Following “Trapped in the closet,” you’re play-in’ yourself
If you don’t know your history, you’re play-in’ yourself
Rocking a hair piece or contacts, you’re play-in’ yourself
Still showing off your ass, you’re play-in yourself
If you’re a ball player and still don’t have a jump shot, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you think Suge Knight is still relevant, you’re play-in’ yourself
If you think Oprah cares about Black people, you’re play-in’ yourself
Black conservative, Black Liberal, you’re play-in’ yourself
“I’m not Black, I’m multi-racial,” You’re Play-in’ yourself
All that "Kevin Garnett best player in the NBA blah-blah-blah" you're play-in' yourself
If you don't think Rap fell off, you're play-in' yourself
Wasting money at the strip club, then you're play-in' yourself
If you don't think God is watching, you're play-in' yourself
If you think Katrina can't happen to you, you're play-in' yourself
Drinking cough syrup like it's soda, you're play-in' yourself
Committing crimes, not going to class, you're play-in' yourself
Don't think Common's “Be,” was Rap album of the year? You're play-in' yourself
Consider Southern Rap Hip-Hop, then you're play-in' yourself
Think Houston MCs don't have flow, you're play-in' yourself
Not tired of Diddy and Jermiane Dupri, you're play-in' yourself
Why is Collin Powell talking? You had your chance bro, you're playing yourself
Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrahkhan, you're play-in' yourself
Michael Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby you're play-in' yourself
Kobe Bryant, Maurice Clarett, Terrell Owens, you're play-in' yourself
Not watching the BoonDocks on Adult Swim, you're play-in' yourself

And if you don’t know what song this is from,
You’re Play-in’ Yourself!

Black Girl Pain

Prop2
“My mama said life would be so hard
Growin up days as a black girl scarred
In so many ways though we've come so far
They just know the name they don't know the pain
So please hold your heads up high
Don't be ashamed of yourself know I
Will carry it forth til the day I die
They just know the name they don't know the pain Black Girl.”
“Black Girl Pain”- Talib Kweli feat. Jean Grae

The wonderful women of Spelman College along with their brothers from Morehouse College, in Atlanta attempted to reclaim and redefine the image of Black women a little over a year ago. Some students opposed Nelly performing at their homecoming because of a boarder line X-rated Tip drill video. Well, that fell apart. Word circulated the majority of Nelly’s proceeds go to bone marrow research and treatment; all for his older sister, who unfortunately lost her battle with leukemia early 2005. Just to kick some dirt in their faces, Ludacris performed regardless of his X-rated video, P**** Poppin. Oops.

Despite his intentions, these students wanted Nelly to take responsibility for his video, I say, how about we go after the women in the video. Black Women, what the hell are you doing?? Ask any rapper today about his videos and the portrayal of Black Women and they brush it off, these women are hired to do this job, they’re in “this” kind of business ramble, ramble, mumble, mumble. The average to extraordinary Black women instead of defending these women, attack and berate them worse than guys. To justify their beliefs, these same women say, “That isn’t me.” Really, since when did you annex yourself from the rest of the Black community? No matter how many of you believe this does not concern you, the texture of your hair, the color of your skin doesn’t come off when you walk out the door or go to bed. To be very honest, the only people you (Black women) can turn to today is each other. Black men, some of us love you and will ride with you, however, have decided to explore our options; and we’re doing just fine. You should do the same. Ah, but what happens when a Black women walks hand and hand with whitey or anyone else? You know the whole Jezebel/Sapphire thing. So you are on one side of the track, or you are on the other; that is what a lot of women believe. News flash, the world sees you, sees all of us, as one. Start checking yourselves. Start with what you’re putting into your mind.

First Viacom, you know it as BET and MTV. Viacom never had the interests of Black Women, Black People, at heart. The Negro channel, already going down hill, hit rock bottom when Robert Johnson sold it. BET late and BET Uncut, we know them very well. That is where we discovered the definition of Tip Drill; it’s not the first video and won’t be the last. However, during the era of 2 Live Crew and NWA; Queen Latifah, Salt & Pepa, MC Lyte, Monie Love, and others female MCs countered those other images. There was no divide between the image opposition and the image, one in the same, a rare time to see, although not in abundance, sisterly love and support. Does any one remember U.N.I.T.Y? Nowadays, a Black woman can’t buy a compliment from another Black woman without some disdain. If you’re not upset by the how you see yourself displayed in television, you’re upset because you don’t look like what you see on television. You are witness to a very limited representation of Black women. But how do you know unless you discover on your own, which brings me to reading selections.

Second Zane and all those other books people waste valuable time and brainpower reading, i.e. anything by Teri Woods, E Lynn Harris, and all those other hood authors. I feel like I’m wasting precious text just writing this much. I can hear the rants now, “They are writing about things we know about,” “It’s just entertainment, no one wants to learn all the time.” Well, if you took everything as learning experience, that would negate some of the nonsense that life throws at you, but I digress. My question is, how many times can you read about the same story: 1)woman falls in love, man cheats on her, woman goes through hell, she gets even, she lives happily ever after. Or, 2) woman falls in love, discovers man is gay, woman goes through hell, woman recuperates. 3) Or, woman is addicted to sex, woman experiments with sex, man calls woman slut, woman goes through hell, woman prevails, etc, see any pattern? The third scenario brings me to another point:

Little Kim, Beyonce, Melyssa Ford, Halley Barry, Esther Baxter, and other center pieces of the male fantasy believe they have taken control of their image/sexuality; some women follow the same ideology. Question, are you looking at yourself through your lens or through the lens of some else. Thus is the enigma Black women face today. Is this my image or am I living something arranged before I got here? That may be a little farfetched, however, consider women’s clothing, especially Black women’s clothing. The clothes are not really intended for you and not designed by you; they’re designed for the fantasy that some random male (and sometimes female) will have about you as they watch you walk down the street. I ask, exactly how are these women taking control of their sexuality? Some respond, they doing what guys do, being overtly sexual, accepting the role as sexual object and using it to their advantage; or, they have taken words like bitch and added a positive spin to them. Well, to the first response, you can’t do what a guy does and still be a lady. The second, I won’t touch, it is just as ridiculous as the word nigger having some redeeming quality. It’s so funny. In spite of all that is against you, regardless of you career path you always hold your head High. Possibly, you are aware of what came before you; however, it is time all of you were reminded.

You know the names(and if you don’t look them up!), Hattie McDaniel, Josephine Baker, Sarah Bartmann, Betty Shabazz, Pam Grier, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur etc; do you know their struggle? It is 2006, is the video chick or the wife of (insert name of sports/music celebrity) all your worth? Individually, some of you will scream no, but when did you separate yourself from the rest of the Black community?