Man Up!

One of my favorite people Nick James has shown himself time and time again to be a stand up man and an ally and lover of women. I wanted to re-post his indictment of the D-Lo song called, and I quote, "No Hoe". It is a song that I thought was a joke when i first heard it over a year ago and though the beat is that Bay slap.lol..it was never a song I could totally dance to and enjoy because of it's subject matter. Well they have turned out a remix and grown Bay rappers have decided to join in, including E-40. They have condoned this nonsense by adding their enlightening verses on pimping hoes to this 17 year old lost young man's song. I feel that male rappers especially are always making little girl lost songs,but who is leading these little boys. Man up! Thank god Nick did and will continue to do. Thank you honey and thank you to all the stand up men I know :)




"Like my brother Sleepy D, I'd bring Oprah if I could"

No that isn't one of my Du Bois quotes of the day, or even Camp Lo for that matter, this is from D-Lo's, No Hoe Remix feat. E-40, Beeda Weeda, and Jacka. I wonder if this quote will ever find its way to Oprah? It would be great to see a Black woman with power cast her hand down a la Sofia cursing out Harpo. I'm pretty sure Oprah would be the pimp, not the other way around.

First off, seeing E-40 start off the remix threw me for a loop. When E-40 was young, he did have grindin type songs but he also had songs like "It's All Bad," "Things Will Never Change," and "1 Luv." So, even when he had hardcore lyrics it was buffered by songs with a message. 40 is now 40 years old. I always wondered what it would be like to be married with kids and come home to my wife after saying I have women of all races working on the track for me on a song (just a thought). I know E-40 has always done a good job of helping out new artists in the Bay and has opened doors for folks but he could have been a mentor in this case.

The reason for such concern regarding this song is that there are 400 sexually exploited minors in Oakland every day! Our communities have been torn apart by men abusing women violently, sexually, psychologically, and spiritually, as well as by the countless boys that have been lead astray that become broken men due to their exposure to violence and hatred. Seeing women tug on Jacka's shirt as he talks about putting "yo b**** in a choke hold" and then puts a model in the video in a choke hold, is the most surreal sight I've seen in a video in a while. We have to see violence against women for what it is; violence. If a white man had a Black man in a headlock in a video, we would protest from the Bay to New York (at least I pray that we would). The jovial nature of the song makes violence, pimping, and the objectification of women go unnoticed even though the lyrics are so blatant. We must question ourselves as men, why are we always caught in this gender purgatory where we don't act?

This is a classic example of what I call the "Chronic Syndrome." When Dr. Dre released the Chronic, people always talked about how much they "loved the beats." "Bitches Ain't Shit" is the perfect example of a beat becoming a classic even though the chorus is "Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks, lick on the nuts and suck the dick." I understand that if you are an adult you can create almost anything and consume almost anything, but "No Ho" has been pushed and praised by extremely young fans. I've seen 8 year-old girls screaming, "We don't give a fuck about no ho," as well as seeing boys attack girls in middle school classes, so this song has direct experiences attached to it for me. I can't differentiate the chorus from the interactions I see on Oakland streets, and in particular and even more distressing, our schools.

I've worked with countless young men throughout West and East Oakland and when I have conversations with them about their relationships and interactions with women and they reiterate the sentiments of this song, I just want to give them a hug because an essential human bond is being severed. We can talk about turf unity all we want but if young men and women are at odds and physical and psychological warfare is normative, we are missing the biggest issue facing our communities. If young and adult men really knew what their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, aunties, friends, and girlfriends have gone through, they would sing another song. I know D-Lo is young; trying to have fun, and make money but there is a ripple effect. E-40 and Jacka are O.G.s and young men take heed from them. When misogyny is validated by men they see as having made it, they follow the formula.

I'm not writing to make it seem that I am holier than thou because I grew up on Too $hort's Cocktails and Snoop's Doggystyle, but I've had so many Black male mentors (my dad, godfather Bill, Coach Johnson, Coach Booth, Mr. Green, Burl Toler II & I, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Smith, Dr. Wade Nobles, Dr. Goddard, Mr. Cavil, Dr. Akom, Dr. Ginwright, and several others) that I've been demanded to always speak in manner that benefits the welfare of all people, especially those of my culture and background. Refraining from devaluing women is unfortunately a process for men in this country. Even though I don't perceive myself as a disrespectful person or a man that treats women badly, I know that I am still in recovery from patriarchy and hyper-masculinity, thus my daily actions and words must set an example to other boys and men in order to transcend male stereotypes. As older men, we must set an example at all times because we don't know who we can influence or those who have yet had the opportunity to have a mentor or man guide them in the right direction.

This is dedicated to every young man I've taught. Keep treating women, your family, friends, and yourself with the utmost respect and love. Deliver a message of peace because violence and destruction only dimmers the prospects of life.

- Nick James