Strictly Truth...And Now This Message from K. Masenda.

"Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. Ratified 7/9/1868.

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

"Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote. Ratified 2/3/1870.

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."



Far be it for me to pretend to know it all about politics, but one thing I’ve learned over time is the power of your voice, and the responsibility that comes with being able to vote. The midterm elections tend to be overlooked, with folks usually deciding to come around only for the presidency, but anyone with knowledge of how The Game works will tell you how key it is to make sure you take part in not only what’s going on nationally, but also in your state and local elections as well.

People who love Brother President want to believe the man can save the world, but he’ll be the first one to tell you how important it is to keep up with what’s going on right now. According to CNN’s Election Center page, 37 states will elect governors; ballots will be cast for 435 seats in the House, as well as 37 seats in the Senate. Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat isn’t anyone’s business, but yours. The important thing is making sure your voice is heard.

Early voting has begun, and the best way to make sure you don’t have to deal with the madness of Election Day is to go ahead and get the process out of the way by going to your polling location and voting now. If you choose to wait until November 2nd, feel free to take your ipod or Blackberry, turn on some jams in your headphones, and wait a while. Who said music and politics can’t be intertwined?

Be Easy.

K. Masenda

*Chan.Lo. Note: I know you all look forward to Strictly Truth posts and I felt it necessary to take a moment and reflect on just how blessed we are to operate under democratic principles. Voting is essential to keeping these principles alive.  Know the people reppin you, because trust, they'll know what they're doing on your behalf whether you voted for them or not.

   Peace. Love. Knowledge.

XoXo

 Chan.Lo.

Strictly Truth...Rahtards?

I realize that for some of you the title to this Strictly Truth may be somewhat offensive, however, I find it rather funny seeing as it related directly to the picture above so...sorry.

Strictly Truth has been a venue for us to pose questions that illicit thought and provoke new insight on topics that are conducive to growth.  I was on Twitter one day and I noticed that people have been truly taken with the youtube sensation "Shawt Bus Shawty" (click the link to view the short), so much so that its already received upwards of 8 million hits and is being imitated by young kids around the country.  The mock depiction of contemporary artists: Waka Flocka Flame (Waka!), Gucci Mane (brrrr), OJ Da Juiceman (ayy!), and everyone's favorite possible drug addict, Soulja Boy (SOULLLGERR), is not only a hilarious spoof but, more alarmingly, strikingly parallel to the artists individual work. This all begged me to ask the question:

Is Today’s Music making The Kids Dumb?

Peep the weigh in by K. Masenda below...and challenge yourselves to think outside of the short bus. Again, my apologies for the pun.

Peace. Love. Truth.

XoXo

Chan.Lo.

Today’s artists face a listening audience that opens them up to more scrutiny than ever. Sure, there was a time when artists were on the scene five, ten, 20 years ago and beyond, but those artists didn’t have to worry about blogs, Twitter, Facebook, or any other media dissecting them like a science project. In those days, it was mainly about if their music was any good. While they had to answer questions, comments, and concerns about quality and integrity, it didn’t come in droves and in waves like it does in this day and time.

We see artists now who not only make music, but they have to live within the microscope of the music and the persona behind it. Dare them to try to sell it as entertainment, which some artists do. Some artists will be quick to tell you they are selling a character, or a lifestyle, and therefore, their music should be viewed within that scope. The counter, from detractors, is that kids are being exposed to it, and they lack the capacities to differentiate between fantasy and reality. While that last statement might be true, something has to be said about a person’s role that has the ability to deter kids from listening to it in the first place; that is, if a detractor’s concern really is about the kids.

For example, I was ten years old in 1992, which also made me 11 years old in 1993. Two albums were released in those years that were seen as toxic, debilitating, and destructive to not only the youth, but overall society by their detractors, opposition, and people who also said they were concerned for the youth being exposed to them. Those albums were The Chronic and Doggystyle. When they came out, I was young and impressionable and saw how cool the videos were, how cool I thought Dre and Snoop were, and how dope the lyrics were, even though I had little idea of what they were talking about. Despite my perception of them, my folks weren’t having it. Not only was I not listening to their music at home, I wasn’t allowed to listen to it in the car, and I certainly wasn’t allowed to own the albums. Their logic was I was a child and they weren’t going to allow me to be able to listen to their albums, no matter how much I wanted to.

They weren’t blaming Snoop, Dre, Death Row, or Interscope for their involvement in making albums like theirs. They weren’t ever holding them to some idealistic standard or standing on some philosophical perch about what’s right and wrong. They simply said that I, as their son, wasn’t allowed to listen to them, until I was able to get their album with my own money and until I was of age, and wouldn’t you guess it? I didn’t listen to either of those albums until high school, despite them being released when I was in the sixth and seventh grade, respectively.

Yes, times have changed, and kids have access to resources that kids my age certainly didn’t have in our time. However, the point remained that when an adult, in this case my parents, said no, that meant no. If there is a concern that some of today’s artists are poisoning the kids and making them dumber, then whose responsibility is it? I think artists should take some of it, but there’s also an understanding of how the game goes, and to be totally honest and 100% real, one of my boys says it best: the music we grew up on is way more destructive than what the kids today are listening to. With that said, my energy isn’t so much fueled toward the artists, because artists will always do what the majority of their base wants them to do, even if it is making music that some of the listening public isn’t crazy about, or outright despises. Instead, it will be geared towards adults to make sure they take proper measures to keep the exposure to a minimum. That is, if their genuine concern is about the kids.

Be Easy.

K. Masenda



Strictly Truth ... Oh You Fancy Huh? Pt. II.

*Chan.Lo. Note: 'Oh You Fancy Huh?' created such an interesting discussion that I thought it best to ask our own Kenny Masenda to give a male POV on the topic. Be enlightened.

 

P.S. If you've yet to read Elena P.'s original article, click HERE

 

Peace. Love. Truth.

 

XoXo

 

Chan.Lo.

 

Recently, I read Elena’s piece “Oh, You Fancy, Huh?” and was given the task of coming up with a response to her words. Honestly, I’ve read her post countless times, all with the intention of coming up with the most carefully-crafted response to her question that was initially posed to the masses, which was:

So, why is it that these powerful men still settle for the video vixens, strippers and DE-pendant women in their industry and throughout? What makes our ambition any less desirable in real life, as opposed to when it is embedded in the hook of a chart-topping single?

At one time, in times when I honestly thought I knew more than what I actually did, a response could have been crafted that could spark a firestorm, an uprising, or anything else that would have constituted excitement, enthusiasm, or maybe even just messy. These days, life has slowed things down for me, and with that, when I read this question, the same answer came back to me over and over again: these “powerful” men in question are more than willing to look for convenience rather than the women they praise in song and verse. Allow me to elaborate.

While I do this, keep in mind this is merely my opinion, and one that certainly will not resonate within all men, or even a majority of men. These “powerful” men realize what it takes to have a woman who they hold in high esteem, and while I don’t question the sincerity in their words, it does serve as a head-scratcher when certain women see these same men with women who are the opposite of what they sing, rap, and harmonize about. At the same time, this is something that any independent woman, in my opinion, really shouldn’t worry about too much. Your ambition is just as desirable in real life as in song, and, if anything, “powerful” men know they can’t just walk up on you, flash some money, their car, or any other tangible object, and expect you to bite.

They know in order to get you, they have to come with their A-game. They have to be attentive, show interest, be creative, be consistent, and work. When you see a “powerful” man out and about with a woman who is the opposite, it’s usually at some social event (awards shows, sports events, etc), and they would rather be seen with a female they don’t have to work hard to get, but looks the part, as opposed to the female they have to work their butt off for, but STILL looks the part. It’s not a knock on independent women at all, and, if anything, it saves you plenty of heartache, headache, angry Facebook messages, scorned tweets, rants, and anything else that’s counter-productive to your well-being.

There may be a fear from women who “have their own” being the same ones “who sleep alone,” but they are also the same ones who are held, at least in my eyes and others who feel similar, as the epitome of a woman, a queen, and someone who is more than ideal for a man to settle down with, once a man decides to settle down for good. That’s why as long as a woman continues to handle her business, she shouldn’t be concerned about what any man has to say about her, or when “powerful” men are choosing M&Ms over an Everlasting Gobstopper. When you see these cats out on the red carpet with a female who chose a different grind to the top, smile at them, and continue to do you, and realize that your path is a path that’s unique, and void of any man’s assistance except God’s.

-K. Masenda

Follow Kenny on Twitter @SoulOnIce6



Truth Topics...The Introduction

Chan.Lo. note:

I've been playing with ideas for this blog as well as features that will be implemented when www.chan-lo.com launches in the Fall. One thing that was notably absent was a lack in personal features that cater to the original goals of SBNP and Chan-lo.com. While we are all about our business, I believe its important for you, as our readers, to receive a glimpse into our thoughts. Therefore, I've added another creative mind to the writing team. Kenny Masenda is wonderful writer, super-duper sports fan, and an all around stand-up guy. He's written original works on his own blog (I Got Soul) and he also contributes heavily to the sensational sports blog: www.edthesportsfan.com .

Peep the piece below and say hello to Business Personal. :)

The Old Days Are Gone

It seemed like a dream, because it was simply too good to be true. An arena packed with concert-goers danced, sang along, and rejoiced in old times. Even though the scene was recent, the elements involved made it feel like so long ago. There were old-school dance moves, simplistic lyrics, and nostalgia abound. This was the scene at the Verizon Center about two months ago, at the New Jack Swing concert. That night, I felt like I was back in middle school and high school all over again. Montell Jordan kicked it off, with SWV, Dougie Fresh, Bell Biv Devoe, and Blackstreet following soon after. Honestly, anytime one of them sang a song, I was able to put myself back in that time, at a certain event, and the feeling was beyond anything I experienced in a long time, if ever.

There were school dances, walks home, parties at the skating rink, basketball games, you name it. As much as I enjoyed it, it was also a sign that my childhood, as well as others of folks my age, is long gone, and waiting for a time like that to be duplicated is the worst exercise in futility any of us can engage in.

There were times when complaints about today's R&B flowed out of my mouth relentlessly. It seemed perfectly normal to compare what folks listen to not to what we listened to in the other days, and see absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. After a while though, it just hit me that times are different. In that era, simplicity was in, and folks were able to enjoy it to no end, because the music was just that good. It spoke to us, through us, and for us. When a youngster had trouble articulating his feeling to a girl he had a crush on, he just played a song off the radio, and he won. It wasn't even corny to do it then, and even the few detractors you had didn't matter, because the majority would let you make it anyway.

Take a minute, and just think about some of the 90's R&B groups. You had Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Silk, Shai, Blackstreet. Hell, you even had Dru Hill, and lets be for real; Dru Hill, as good as they were, could never be put in the same category, in terms of greatness as Jodeci, Silk, or even a Shai, but if you put Dru Hill in today's R&B climate? Those cats would be as big, or bigger, than anyone doing it, yet they were middle-of-the-pack back then. They would be considered legendary, yet you can look at the old day, and since there was so much talent to go around, they're remembered as good, but not great. By no mean is it a knock on them, it just lets you know how fortunate of a time it was that we grew up in.

The same goes for individual artists. Who are considered today's stars of R&B? Pick one, two, or even three of them. Take those three and put them in the 90's and see how they would hold up. Do we see what these artists are up against? Even those who were considered average back then would be top-notch now! Once I began to look at my comparisons like that, my energy to rail against the new regime died.

The best today's R&B artists can do is forge their own path. Attempting to be as good as the golden years of R&B is like someone trying to be the next Jordan. It's impossible, and while they may have a little moment or two, they'll eventually crumble under the expectation and the weight that comes with the responsibility.

For me, the old days are gone, and that concert, on that night, with that crowd of people singing, dancing, and rejoicing confirmed it for me. Fans and lovers of 90's R&B can always turn back the clock and listen to how it once was, but waiting for today to be anywhere near yesterday will be the worst mistake any of us can ever make.

-K. Masenda

Make sure to check out Kenny's work and visit him on Twitter @soulonice6

Peace. Love. Life.

XoXo

Chan.Lo.