Essay on Music History

Music is like a language, everybody knows it and everybody listens to it. It is very cool and great to be involved in, whether you're making or listening to music you will feel into it. Music is great, but it's origins are even greater. Music's origin is none other than the motherland of Africa. "It is true that the keys to a better understanding of this music were elusive: music and life being intimately connected, it was difficult to separate the various elements. This was a world that did not separate daily life from artistic activity....In Africa, tradition claims that instruments speak before they sing. The term balafon is said to come from a Mandingo word bala, which means to speak. As long as instruments are the vehicles of speech, the African tradition will endure forever."( http://www.eyeneer.com/World/Af/index.html) It is this mixing of music and daily ritual which spilled over into the history of the American born music. During slavery, slaves would send coded messages to each other through song. Although, others thought that slaves were just singing, these Negro spirituals would let other slaves know both when and where it was safe to try to escape. For example, songs like Wade in the Water and Steal Away weren't songs about religion, but songs about escaping from slavery. Gospel music and the Blues gave many Blacks refuge from their daily struggles into the solace of message music. Music would give Blacks a voice and a peace that they couldn't find in the world that treated them unfairly.

In Del Jones book, Culture Bandits, vol 1, he states, "When whites claim that Elvis Presley is not dead, they're not talking about the...man, but the process of Culture Banditry that is alive and well...in the legions lining up to steal the culture of Afrikan people..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5JALwwaASg In the Elvis Presley, Hound Dog video, he copied Big Mama Thorton's performance. Even though her song was out five years before his, she sold 2 million copies and was paid only $500.00 dollars. The process of the stealing of Afrikan culture and reclaiming it as their own is perfectly shown in this example. No one even knows who Big Mama Thornton is today, but everyone associates the song, Hound Dog with Elvis Presley. He successfully stole this song and it has been reclaimed by him as his own. And this practice is why a young White male can be called the King of Rap, while the originators of rap sit around and look for praise from those who they taught how to rap. These students of rap, set themselves up as experts and give out awards on music to the individuals who taught them. I say that the same is the case for Rock and Roll and R&B, too.

The history of Black music in America seems to be just like everything else. Just as slaves built this country and are treated like second class citizens and given no credit in the establishment of America. So, too is the history of Black music. This assignment really showed me how Whites have stolen Black music and claim it as their own as we sit at award shows and pray that we get an award to validate our place with music that our ancestors created.

In conclusion, we must remember Del Jones' warning, "...if we are...culturally starved or controlled we will waste away into universal nothingness. A people who founded culture and civilization is now controlled by those who came after them....To labor for free is slavery and to labor and be underpaid is neo-slavery." (Culture Bandits, Vol 1) Afrikan music has been stolen and reclaimed by those who want to get paid at all costs. We have been fooled into thinking that we haven't created anything in this country. Our place in history has been reduced to a happy slave that is grateful for the opportunity to live in this land. Our culture is our strength and our music is our blood line. We must stop the draining of our creativity by reclaiming what is ours. We must stop allowing those alien to our culture to not only steal it, but reinvent it. Just as a tree without roots, dies, so too does a people. If we don't stop this redirecting of our talents, our music won't be the only thing that we won't recognize.

Stress

Stress is defined as a mentally or emotionally disruptive influence. I believe anger is a form of stress that builds up over time, and is released in many forms. Stress can be caused by multiple people doing a number of things to anger you. It could be that you are going through a rough period in your life that may be causing you stress. Stress in it's extreme can kill you. That's why it is so important to learn how to handle stress and not let stress handle you. There are several inappropriate ways to handle stress, such as smoking, drug usage, overeating, arguing, fighting and drinking. One of the worse ways to handle stress in a negative way is to react in a violent way.

To handle stress in a positive way you should first, ignore people when they try to anger you, then you should try to go somewhere and cool down. Exercise is a great way to handle stress. Personally I handle stress by playing basketball in my driveway. You could also avoid the triggers of your stress, even if those things that stress you are people. You could meditate, learn a hobby, talk to a good friend and learn to laugh at things that you can't control.

Depending upon the way that you are taught to handle stress can determine the kind of person you will grow up to be. A child that lets the stresses of life beat down on him, becomes a teenage that can't handle anything. This kind of teen stays in trouble and doesn't do well in school or social situations. If this teen doesn't get help, he will grow up to be the kind of adult that doesn't accomplish anything good as an adult. He may drink to excess or beat up on people, but he will not be successful in life if he doesn't get any help. Conversely, the child that learns how to deal with stress constructively won't have any problems that he can't handle. He will make friends well and more than likely will be successful in everything that he sets out to do.

One of the biggest youth stress causes is peer-pressure. Another one is gender-bias. One of my biggest stresses is physical activities like doing a lot of chores or getting up at 6 a.m. in the morning to go to school. One kind of stress for males is who is the fastest runner or who gets the most girls. I think girls stress over who gets the most boys or who is the cutest looking girl.

In conclusion, stress can be defined as any obstacle in life that needs to be handled. Stress in some situations can't be avoided, so there are many ways both positively and negatively that people learn how to deal with it. Those who are taught positive methods to handle stress will be successful in life and those who don't handle stress well, will stay in all kinds of trouble.

Talking Equality Article

The article "Talking Equality" is about how Blacks and Latinos' scores are lacking on the PSSA, and how Whites and Asians are getting better grades on it. Philadelphia School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman stated how Blacks and Latinos have severe disadvantages on the test, because of differences school system wide. Such differences refer to lack of books and a lack of equal disciplinary action among the various ethnic groups. "Poor" students are "up for grabs" because of their poor test performances. Blacks and Latinos are 24 points behind Whites and Asians in the Reading and Math sections on the PSSA.

Many teachers are decreasing their class sizes because their kids are not doing good on the PSSA. 59% of the students in the emotional support classes are mostly Black and Latino boys. The article says that Black males and Black females are both perform worse than Whites and Asians on the PSSA. Whites make up 12% of high school students, but 28% of those are in magnet schools. About 11% of Blacks and 10% of Latinos in high school are in Advance placement classes compared to 32% of Asians and 24% Whites. I think that is very bad and it proves that the school is failing Black and Latino students.

I agree that most Whites and Asians do well on the PSSA, but I disagree that Blacks don't do well on the PSSA, because of their intelligence level. Tests only measure how well you can tack test, no how smart you are. I only agree that most Whites perform better on the test, because they are given more access to resources and are given many more opportunities to apply what they learn than other groups do. I think that poor grades on the PSSA can be used to say that Blacks people are dumb and don't accomplish anything. I think when Black people think about it we can do anything and get good grades as well as score proficient or even advance on the PSSA or class tests if we were taught the same test taking skills and provided with the same resources that Whites and Asians do. Blacks and Latinos are having difficulties in class, but all we have to do is ask for help or do better work. I think the article should address different ways that can be used to motivate Blacks and Latinos to do better and apply themselves.

Barack Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus

1. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is an organization of elected Black congressional lawmakers. Since its founding it has functioned as part of the left wing of the Democratic Party. The CBC was founded in January 1969. Its founders were Representatives John Conyers and Charles Diggs of Michigan, Ron Dellums and Gus Hawkins of California, Charles Rangel and Shirley Chisholm of New York, Louis Stokes of Ohio, Ralph Metcalf and Pennsylvania, William Clay of Missouri, and Delegate from the District of Columbia Walter Fauntroy. Until 1994, when voters returned a Republican House of Representatives, the CBC had been defined as an "official office of Congress" and as such was provided its own offices, staff and lavish budget.
2. There are 43 people who sit on the Black Caucus and they are The Honorable G.K. Butterfield (North Carolina), The Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.(Georgia), The Honorable Corrine Brown (Florida), The Honorable Roland W. Burris (Illinois), The Honorable Andre Carson (Indiana), The Honorable Donna M. Christensen Delegate, (Virgin Islands), The Honorable Yvette Clarke (New York), The Honorable William Lacy Clay, Jr. (Missouri), The Honorable Emanuel Cleaver II (Missouri), The Honorable James E. Clyburn (South Carolina), The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. (Michigan), The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings (Maryland), The Honorable Artur Davis (Alabama), The Honorable Danny K. Davis (Illinois), The Honorable Donna Edwards (Maryland), The Honorable Keith Ellison (Minnesota), The Honorable Chaka Fattah (Pennsylvania), The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge (Ohio), The Honorable Al Green (Texas), The Honorable Alcee L. Hastings (Florida), The Honorable Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (Illinois), The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), The Honorable Hank Johnson (Georgia), The Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas), The Honorable Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Michigan), The Honorable Barbara Lee (California), The Honorable John Lewis (Georgia), The Honorable Kendrick B. Meek (Florida), The Honorable Gregory W. Meeks (New York), The Honorable Gwendolynne Moore (Wisconsin), The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton Delegate, (District of Columbia), The Honorable Donald M. Payne (New Jersey), The Honorable Charles B. Rangel (New York), The Honorable Laura Richardson (California), The Honorable Bobby L. Rush (Illinois), The Honorable David Scott (Georgia), The Honorable Robert C. Scott (Virginia), The Honorable Bennie Thompson (Mississippi), The Honorable Edolphus Towns (New York), The Honorable Maxine Waters (California), The Honorable Diane E. Watson (California), and The Honorable Melvin L. Watt (North Carolina).
3. The nature of Barack Obama's meeting with the Black Caucus was to press him on their priorities. The session could rekindle lingering differences Obama has had with the group, which hasn't always embraced his approach to politics. Obama relies partly on the organization's largely Black constituents, who were a big factor in his presidential win. Yet Obama maintained a distant relationship with the caucus when he was its only Senate member form 2004-08. That dynamic was on display early in the Democratic presidential primary, when many senior caucus members initially backed Hillary Rodham Clinton even as Obama quickly became viable as a candidate.
4. The issues that the Black caucus would like to see him address was they wanted Obama to hire more minorities to federal jobs and help minority jobs get government contracts. They wanted him to create health care for minorities. They wanted him to improve the education in low income communities. Most of the issues effect minorities and their health.
5. I believe that the Congressional Black Caucus and Obama will have a good relationship because he has the power to get the problems they want fixed done. Also I believe that because he is the first Black President and they are the black caucus, because their both black politicians, that this will influence the relationship in a good way. The CBC's constituents are mostly Blacks, who supported President Obama and voted for him. President Obama probably feels obligated to the CBC's constituents, so this will make it easier for the CBC to get their issues addressed. I also believe that since Obama was once a member of the black caucus that he probably agrees with most of their issues so he will support them again.

Oratorial Contest Essay Extra Credit

The Oratorical contest was very fun and very nice. Everybody did a good job, but in my opinion, the 8th grade did best! Revolution!! It was very crowded at the oratorical contest, but it was still fun. In the performances, the 8th grade did the best, especially when we walked off the stage at the end singing,"Its time, its time, its time to make a change we are the people, we can do it!"

Essay on Anti-Colonial Afrikan Leader

The leader I am going to talk about is Kwame Nkrumah. The name Kwame means "born on Saturday." Kwame Nkrumah, the son of a goldsmith, was born Francis Nwia Nkrumah on September 21, 1909, into the small Nzima ethic group in Nkroful, Gold Coast. Nkroful refers to the village where Nkrumah was born, but can also refer to the people. The Nkroful speak both Akan and English. Kwame Nkrumah was taught in Ghana, and was a very good student. He worked as a teacher until 1935 when he left for the United States. He was accepted into University of Pennsylvania and Lincoln University. Nkrumah graduated from Lincoln in 1939 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Sociology. He worked as an Assistant Lecturer in Philosophy to support himself. He also enrolled in graduate classes at the Lincoln Theological Seminary and at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1942 he graduated as the top student from the seminary in the Bachelor of Theology program. He also earned Master's degrees in Philosophy and Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

While working during summer vacations, he studied in Harlem; where he sold fish and worked at a soap factory. He studied for 10 years from 1935 to 1945 in the United States and then went to England. While there in 1945 he helped to organize and co-chair the fifth Pan-African Congress in Britain in Manchester, England.

In 1947, Nkrumah was invited to come home to Ghana to help lead the liberation movement, called the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). He served as General Secretary to the UGCC as they started a positive action program against their British colonizers. After a violent confrontation with the British colonial police, Nkrumah and other UGCC leaders were arrested. After being released, Nkrumah was not happy with the goals and slow pace of the UGCC. He left the party and formed his own new party. On June 12, 1949, Nkrumah founded the Convention People's Party (CPP), it's slogan was, Independence Now. Throughout his life, Nkrumah fought for his dream of Afrikan people's world wide liberation.

Nkrumah as Prime Minister, declared the independence of the Gold Coast on March 6, 1957. He renamed the country Ghana after an ancient empire. He tried to modernize the country and started with his plan to unite Afrika into one country. In 1960, Kwame Nkrumah became the first president of Ghana. Ghana was a former British colony of the Gold Coast and the first of the European colonies in Africa to gain independence with majority rule. Nkrumah held many conferences in Ghana to help unite the Afrikan continent. His goal was to have a union government of Afrika which would mean one government for all of the countries of Afrika. Nkrumah worked feverishly with the liberation movements and heads of state to obtain the goal of a united Afrika.

On December 31, 1957, Nkrumah married an Egyptian woman, named Fathia Rizk. She was the niece of the president of Egypt. Nkrumah married Fathia to unite the countries of Egypt and Ghana. They had two sons and a daughter.

In 1958, Ghana and Guinea formed the Union of Afrikan States. In 1960, Nkrumah signed a secret agreement with Patrice Lumumba joining Ghana, Guinea and the Congo. In 1961, Mali joined the Union of Afrikan states. In 1966, when Nkrumah was in China trying to stop the Vietnam War, soldiers from both the CIA and MI6 (British CIA) set to overthrew the country. On February 24, 1966, Nkrumah's Ghana was overthrown by Ghanian agents of the CIA. The soldiers arrested his wife and children. While they were in custody, a soldier's gun accidentally fired and Nkrumah's son was shot in the ear. The soldier's panicked because they shot a child. It was during this distraction that Nkrumah's wife escaped with her children. She ran down the street to the Egyptian embassy which gave her safe passage back to Egypt.

Nkrumah spent his final years as co-president of the Republic of Guinea with Sekou Toure. This was first time in history that a leader was overthrown and became co-president of another country. His goal from Guinea was to liberate his country of Ghana from the western powers. Nkrumah also continued to work for the United states of Afrika. He died in May of 1972 of throat cancer in Romania, but he was still living in Guinea.

Over his lifetime, Nkrumah was awarded honorary doctorates by Lincoln University, Moscow State University; Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt; Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland; Humboldt University in the former East Berlin; and other universities. Kwame Nkrumah wrote many papers, speeches and great books. Here are some of his writings:

Rhodesian File

Towards Colonial Freedom, Heinemann, 1962.
Challenge of the Congo, Panaf, 1967.
Dark Days in Ghana, Panaf, 1968.
"Negro History: European Government in Africa," The Lincolnian, April 12, 1938, p. 2 (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania) - see Special Collections and Archives, Lincoln University
Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah (1957) ISBN 0-901787-60-4
Africa Must Unite (1963) ISBN 0-901787-13-2
African Personality (1963)
Neo-Colonialism: the Last Stage of Imperialism (1965) ISBN 0-901787-23-X
Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah (1967) ISBN 0-901787-54-X
African Socialism Revisited (1967)
Voice From Conakry (1967) ISBN 90-17-87027-3
Handbook for Revolutionary Warfare (1968) - first introduction of Pan-African pellet compass
Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for De-Colonisation (1970) ISBN 0-901787-11-6
Class Struggle in Africa (1970) ISBN 0-901787-12-4
The Struggle Continues (1973) ISBN 0-901787-41-8
I Speak of Freedom (1973) ISBN 0-901787-14-0
Revolutionary Path (1973) ISBN 0-901787-22-1

This was just some of information on Kwame Nkrumah. I believe Kwame Nkrumah was a great man, who did great things and deserves recognition for his work. Some refer to him as the founder of the Pan-Afrikan revolutionary movement. I know I would not have tried to stop a war, but again a great man was Kwame Nkrumah. He could do great things, and sacrificed so much to gain freedom for his country; and to unite Afrika and it's people as one.

Barack Obama Civil Rights Policy

I agree with most things about the policy, but some things I disagree with. One of the things I agree with in the policy is the End Racial Profiling. President Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice. Another thing I agree with is that President Obama states to "Fight Work Place Discrimination". I think that a man or women should have the right to go to work and not be judged by their appearance. Those people came to work to get paid, not to be judged by their co-workers. They get up every morning to get money for a living. I agree when President Obama states that we should fight work-place discrimination by our laws being expanded.

The thing that I disagree with is "Support Full Civil Unions and Federal funds for LGBT Couples". I think that supporting LGBT is not right, because gay couples having children does not seem right to me. I think if you want to be gay, you should not have children. The Creator made man and woman to be able to have a child and if you don't like the natural rules than you can't have a child. That is what I believe.

Parent Overview

As Jelani Tate's mom, I am quite impressed with his interest in making his blog appear interesting. He gets very excited when he shows me any of his creative exploits on his blog, especially his picture that he made with President Obama. He takes great pride in picking a background and choosing graphics that will make his blog visually appealling. He even takes issue with my personal blog, giving me suggestions as to how I can make it look better. I can't wait to see what media technological opportunities that Jelani will get in the future. As you know these children drink up technology and although blogging is fun, it in no way challenges them to compete in this technology driven world.

Barack Obama Stimulus Package Assignment

1. The stimulus package is a money bailout plan for the nation. It is basically a money package to save the nation's economy. It is a bill that Barack Obama passed to bring the economy back to where it should be. Currently, the country is in too much debt and people are losing both their jobs and houses. The stimulus is very necessary because it helps this country in it's time of economic hardship.
2. The agreements with the Republicans and Democrats are that they agree that a package must be done and that is basically the only thing they agree on. The disagreements with the Republicans and the Democrats are on who needs the help, how much money should be spent and what the money should be spent on. Most of the Republicans believe that the package has a lot of wasted money and unnecessary spending it, and the Democrats disagree with that. Most Republicans believe that there should be tax cuts in order to stimulate the economy and many Democrats disagree with that. President Obama counter arguments are that he thinks that the stimulus is right, when the Republicans said it was too much spending in the bill, the President said, and I quote, "What do you think a stimulus is?!" and I agree with President Obama.
3. The details of the new package are that there is 550 billion in new spending, $275 billion in tax relief, $58 billion to Energy, $16 billion to Science and Technology, $149 billion to Health Care, and,$114 billion to education. It will likely change as the bill works its way through Congress. But the document provides the first blueprint of how President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats plan to fight the historic economic downturn, which has already wiped out 2.6 million jobs. The stimulus package will create jobs by President Obama's "Making Work Pay" tax credit of $500 per worker and $1,000 for couples.
4. President Barack Obama emphasized the area of the package where he said that the $79 billion to help states avoid cutbacks in education and other services will help to save 1 million jobs and create 2 million new jobs for America. He also believes that the package is just right.
5. I believe this stimulus package will help African Americans because most African Americans are middle class and need to work to provide for their families. This stimulus package helps mostly middle class citizens who want to work in the United States. It is designed to help those who need jobs and those who are working to keep more of their money. I do not believe that racism or gender bias will have any effect on this package. President Barack Obama had to deal with racism growing up as a Black man in America and as such he knows how unfair a burden it placed on his life. As he campaigned he always talked about change. I think that part of that change that he wants has to do with the unfair advantage that racism gives to some people. I think that as a Black man he doesn't want to be remembered as a President that allowed such bias to mess up his time in office. He wants the economy to help everyone and as he always talked about his mother and grandmother with such a love for them, I don't think that he will tolerate gender bias. His love for his wife and daughters won't allow him to let something that will hurt them exist during his time in office.

Ancestor Pictures

This is how my great-great grandmother fed her family, by working in her garden.

My great-great grandmother was born and lived in Cayce, SC. Cayce is a suburb of Columbia, the state capital.

This is what my ancestor would have sold as a homemaker and made in her leisure time.

This is the kind of house in which my ancestor would have lived.

New Teacher Essay

Hello new teacher, my name is Jelani Tate and I would like to welcome you to this class of 8th grade Social Studies, I am sure you will be a great teacher. I have three things that I would like to let you know about me. I am an audio, visual learner, I enjoy learning about world history and I would like to use organized debates as a part of our learning curriculum.

First, I would like to talk about my audio, visual learning style. As I said, I have an audio, visual learner style, so, if possible, could you write a lot of things that you say down on the board, or could you speak and explain everything you say. Also, if possible, could you please sometimes explain slowly also, if you can.

Secondly, I would like to learn about world history, we're more than just U.S. history because the world did not begin in the U.S., it began in Africa. African history is really my favorite thing to learn about, and I should learn about that before anything else. Also I would like to learn more about the world around me.

The last thing I would like to talk about is that I would like the class to have organized debates to solve problems like our last teacher did, if possible. We would not just have them for everyday little problems, we would also use them for Social Studies and classroom problems that concerned everybody. I would like to do this because it is a creative way to solve problems and it is educational, so we can learn and have fun also.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I am looking forward to having you as a Social Studies Teacher, so that I can learn from you. Your critical insight will be a welcome daily challenge to my current schedule of classes. New Media Technology Charter School will be a great place for you to not only teach to us, but also learn and grow in a peaceful, loving and powerful environment.

Critical Analysis of Hip-Hop

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind

Verse one: fresh prince

Here it is the groove slightly transformed
Just a bit of a break from the norm
Just a little somethin to break the monotony
Of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be
A little bit out of control its cool to dance
But what about the groove that soothes that moves romance
Give me a soft subtle mix
And if ain't broke then don't try to fix it
And think of the summers of the past
Adjust the base and let the alpine blast
Pop in my cd and let me run a rhyme
And put your car on cruise and lay back cause this is summertime

Chorus

Verse two: fresh prince

School is out and its a sort of a buzz
A back then I didn't really know what it was
But now I see what have of this
The way that people respond to summer madness
The weather is hot and girls are dressing less
And checking out the fellas to tell em who's best
Riding around in your jeep or your benzos
Or in your Nissan sitting on Lorenzo's
Back in Philly we be out in the park
A place called the plateau is where everybody goes
Guys out hunting and girls doing likewise
Honking at the honey in front of you with the light eyes
She turn around to see what you beeping at
Its like the summers a natural aphrodisiac
And with a pen and pad I compose this rhyme
To hit you and get you equipped for the summer time

Chorus

Verse three: fresh prince

Its late in the day and I ain't been on the court yet
Hustle to the mall to get me a short set
Yeah I got on sneaks but I need a new pair
Cause basketball courts in the summer got girls there
The temperatures about 88
Hop in the water plug just for old times sake
Break to ya crib change your clothes once more
Cause you re invited to a barbecue that's starting at 4
Sitting with your friends cause y'all rem incise
About the days growing up and the first person you kiss
And as I think back makes me wonder how
The smell from a grill could spark up nostalgia
All the kids playing out front
Little boys messin round with the girls playing double-dutch
While the djs spinning a tune as the old folks dance at your family
Reunion
Then six o'clock rolls around
You just finished wiping your car down
Its time to cruise so you head to the summertime hangout
It looks like a car show
Everybody come lookin real fine
Fresh from the barber shop or fly from the beauty salon
Every moment frontin and maxin
Chillin in the car they spent all day waxin
Leanin to the side but you cant speed through
Two miles an hour so everybody sees you
Theres an air of love and of happiness
And this is the fresh princes new definition of summer madness - Will Smith

Summertime by Will Smith is a very positive song. This song is about how in the summer everybody is happy and they get along. Summer seems to be the best season, better than any other season, because there are family gatherings and outdoor activities that bring people together. He talks about young men taking pride in their appearance to make a good impression on females. Everyone seems proud and wants to show off their best, be it the way their cars look or how good they can play ball. People look back on life with happiness as they remember the past. The song seems to unify people as they come together at family functions. He talks about the atmosphere being full of love and happiness. Everyone seems to be happy just being around each other. Like Biggie's song, this song has a nice beat; but unlike his song the message is positive. I like this song very much and hope to hear more songs like this, which serve to bring people together and not tear them apart.

Critical Analysis of Biggie Smalls

The song I am going to be talking about is "Gimme da Loot" by Biggie Smalls. This song is very explicit and it has a lot of profanity in it. I must say this song's beat is very good, but its message is very bad. To me this song is about getting money and robbing people for money. The song reinforces the stereotype that Black men are all thugs. In this song, money and material possessions are the keys to success. The male described has no respect for life. He will kill women, even if they are pregnant. He has no remorse for any of his actions. He plays the victim, because he feels that his mom isn't giving him anything. Consequently, he uses that as an excuse to take other people's lives and money.

The effect songs like this have on society is very dangerous to all members of society. The song, not only glorifies bad behavior, it promotes it. In one verse, he even talks about killing a cop. Young men who constantly sing these words will learn that its okay to take anything from anybody. No consequences are discussed and jail time seems to be non-existent. Because this awful message is put in a cool beat, the message appears cool. Stealing and killing are okay, because the record sounds good. This song will serve to keep Black people apart. There is no unifying message. All people are presented as potential victims. Murder is okay and the thug life is king. When you are around a lot of negative people (like Biggie was) you become just like those people.

Oldest Known Ancestor

I'd like to introduce you to my great-great grandmother, Lucretia Earl Canty. One of 7 children (possibly more), she was born in Cayce, South Carolina, around the year 1879 to the late Lucretia Earl. Known as Mama Crecy, her grandfather was William Cayce (a former Mayor of Cayce, South Carolina). She was the oldest of her 7 siblings: Fletcher, Johnny, Ella, Dan, Mary, and Josh. She was educated at St. Anne's Episcopal Boarding School and attended until 8th grade. Her marriage to Theodore Canty produced one child, Mervel Canty. Her personality was described as very kind, giving and loving. Her hobbies included quilt making and canning fruit. She grew figs, peaches and pear trees in her yard. She was a homemaker who died in 1969 in Cayce, South Carolina. As a homemaker, she fed her family from her garden and livestock in her yard. Her daughter the late Mervel Canty married the late Canty David Weston. This union gave my great-great grandmother 5 grandchildren: the late Arnold Livingston, the late Theodore Canty, Gloria Constance, Veda Patricia, and my grandmother, Gwendolyn Osceola.