tuluum's Diaryland Diary
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The Bootleggin Of Black Power (article)
The Bootleggin' of Black Power
( Undaground Version)
Min. Paul Scott
I heard a voice yellin' at me while I headed across
the parking lot to the CD Store the other day. "Yo'
dawg, I got CD's for $5, what cha need ?" As the
Brotha gave me a quick rundown of his catalog of
everything from the Sugarhill Gang to the new Erykah
Badu, I briefly thought about the $18.99 I was about
to drop down before telling tha Brotha "Naw, that's'
alright, I'm good." Trying to get a laugh as exit
noise, I, jokingly, asked him if he had the (yet to be
recorded) Tribe Called Quest reunion CD. As I walked
into the store I heard him yell, "...Yeah, I'll have
that joint tomorrow...Holla at me�.."
That encounter made me think about the state of
Afrikan people in 2003 and how many of us are living
in a bootlegged version of reality. Sure, it seems
like the real thing but it is just a false copy of the
plan that our ancestors had for the destiny of the
sons and daughters of Africa. Only on a bootleg could
a lie masquerade as the TRUTH that will make us Free.
Only on a bootleg can we make justifications for the
distribution of the bootleg while are people are
literally dying for the real thing which is, to borrow
from Parliament; the P (pure) TRUTH, uncut TRUTH, tha
Bomb.
The Hip Hop Nation is in many ways a bootlegged
version of the Black Power Movement. Only the bootleg
lacks the "The End of White Supremacy" bonus track
Unlike its predecessor that was for the upliftment of
Afrikan people, the bootleg markets itself as
universal dance music and according to the white
people advisory sticker, any reference to Black Power
is for entertainment purposes only. There is no need
to worry about the bootleg upsetting the social order
as the most revolutionary thing it might do is make
someone register to vote or drop down some dollars to
buy a pair of sneakers.
Only on the bootleg can words that have historically
caused so much hurt to our people be seen as something
positive. Sambo Ham Sandwiches are washed down with
tall glasses of Pimp Juice Energy Drink, which
according to Track # 4 are now terms of endearment and
no longer mean what they mean but mean what I say they
mean as long as the money is green. Only on the
bootleg can an energy drink be marketed as a vodka
mix, raising up a nation of super energized, drunk
pimps instead of a nation of strong Afrikan leaders.
Black politics has also become a bootlegged shadow of
what the empowerment of Afrikan people is supposed to
be. On the bootleg, power to the people becomes power
to some people. Not power to the masses but power to
the classes, who have overcome on the backs of those
who came over on slave ships. Track # 5 says "Vote
for Me and I'll Set you Free, if you can give my
election campaign a small fee ". Only on the bootleg
can registering people to vote take the place of
getting people registered in the Book of LIFE so they
can escape the wrath of a Creator who will one day
grow tired of the bootleg and demand original.
Afrikan Spirituality has been bootlegged into Gospel
CDs that boom Eurocentric religious dogma into the
minds of Afrikan people. Only on the bootleg could a
Black Revolutionary named Yeshua be transformed into a
white, blue eyed Jesus Christ and the religion of an
oppressed African people become the religion of the
European oppressor. Only on the bootleg can Afrikan
people happily coexist with white supremacy on Earth
while waiting to go to a Promise Land in the sky with
pearly white gates, when they die.
The question facing Afrikan people is how do we push
the original when many of our people seem perfectly
happy playing the bootleg? The answer is we turn down
the treble, turn up the bass and pump up the original
at volume 10 until the walls of white supremacy come
tumblin' down !
Although the bootleg may be cheaper, in the end you
get what you pay for and a lie will never take the
place of TRUTH. FREEDOM was not FREE but it was paid
for by the blood sweat and tears of our ancestors and
one day the spirit of our ancestors will expose the
bootleg for what it is , a cheap imitation.
Min. Paul Scott represents the Messianic Afrikan
Nation. He can be reached at [email protected]
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6:01 p.m. - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2003
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