Forget About Getting Rick Roll'd...

...how about getting Barack Roll'd:

Do You Realize. That You Are a Champion?

The video for Kanye West's latest single "Champion" is making it's rounds. Once again, Kanye does whatever the hell he wants because none of the music networks actually show music videos anymore. This time, he's a puppet (!). Enjoy:

Gotta love that Steely Dan sample from "Kid Charlemagne" too. Good stuff man.

Bad Weekend For Black Entertainment

First, early on Saturday, August 9th we lost Bernie Mac. George Clooney summed it up best when he said "The world just got a little less funny."

Bernie Mac
October 5, 1957 - August 9, 2008

E! Online posted a thoughtful and thorough profile of Mac and his career, along with tributes from celebrity colleagues and family. People were and still are visibly shaken because of the suddenness of his passing, but perhaps Mac knew that living with a condition like sarcoidosis he could die at any moment. The Chicago Tribune put a spotlight on the often volatile immune system disorder in the wake of Bernie Mac's death.


Less than 48 hours later, the news came that Isaac Hayes had passed away as well...

Isaac Hayes
August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008

It was like the funk that perished when James Brown died was resurrected and then killed all over again. Sadly, many people know him best for his role as the voice of "Chef" on South Park but he was so much more. For me, it doesn't get much better than his live performance of "Theme From Shaft" at Wattstax in 1972:

MC NeoCon

Via GlobalGrind.com: Republican Rapper Responds & Disses Ludacris

True story - Ludacris dropped a song called "Obama Is Here" to show his support for the Democratic presidential candidate:

Then some randumb guy from the Republican side decides to respond and do a diss track. I really wish I were making this up. But I'm not:

So...where do I begin? I guess we can start with the fact that "Republican rapper" may as well be an oxymoron. Emphasis on the "moron" part (word to Laya for that insight). This is illustrated by the fact that he rips on Barack Obama for not being able to rap or dance, as he constructs rhymes like he's in nursery school and struggles to ride the wack ass beat in the background. Gotta love the irony there. Not really. If you can make it past the first 30-45 seconds, you must have nerves of steel. I already have a low tolerance for blatant displays of Teh Dumb, but today the levels are at Danger Level.

Seriously. Stuff like this makes me wish YouTube didn't exist.

Happy Birthday Mr. President... © Marilyn Monroe

Barack Obama turns 47 today! And I must say, that's a good GREAT looking 47 year-old right there. I don't care if he's 6 years younger than my father...what a FOX. Not that I'm objectifying or anything ;)

Okay, so maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit with the "Mr. President" label but hey, call me an optimist ;) He's putting up one hell of a fight. Even if you don't like him, you have to respect him for at least that much. If I could wish him a happy birthday in person, I'd tell him to stay strong and stay vigilant. I'd also tell him to take a brief moment to relax and...

Kid Sister Rocks Chucks for Converse

Chicago's homegrown homegirl Kid Sister joins the likes of Santogold, Pharrell and Julian Casablancas in the latest ad campaign by Converse. Check out the photo she appears in along with Chad Hugo (The Neptunes/N*E*R*D) and Frank Carter (Gallows):

Great pic. Go Kid Sister!

Check out http://www.converse.com/connectivity for more on Kid Sister and all the other artists who appear in the latest Converse ads. Or just shop for a new pair of Chucks. Whatever's clever mayne.

Versions: Estelle/will.i.am

British R&B siren Estelle has been making a lot of noise in the U.S. with her latest album Shine (2008), thanks in part to the single "American Boy" with Kanye West:

Estelle - American Boy (featuring Kanye West).mp3

However, I was really diggin' on a primarily instrumental version by will.i.am called "Impatient" which appeared his album "Songs About Girls" (2007):

will.i.am - Impatient.mp3

I really didn't like "American Boy" when I first heard it, but it's grown on me. I'm just really attached will's version because of the way it caught my attention as a stand-out track on "Songs About Girls." The composition and layering of sounds are impeccable (to me anyway) and it makes me appreciate will.i.am as a producer just that much more. You lose a lot of the intricacies when you add vocals to the track, which is why "American Boy" didn't sit well with me at first. I'm just a sucker for the nostalgia and imagery that "Impatient" invokes, so don't mind me.

Esperanza Spalding

What do you get when you combine a hot Thandie Newton lookalike with a dope curly 'fro, a voice that's smooth as eggs and an upright bass? You get Esperanza Spalding, that's what:

Good News, Bad News

First, the bad news. And it's really bad...

Black U.S. AIDS rates rival some African nations

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The AIDS epidemic among African-Americans in some parts of the United States is as severe as in parts of Africa, according to a report out Tuesday.

"Left Behind - Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS" is intended to raise awareness and remind the public that the "AIDS epidemic is not over in America, especially not in Black America," says the report, published by the Black AIDS Institute, an HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on African-Americans.

"AIDS in America today is a black disease," says Phill Wilson, founder and CEO of the institute and himself HIV-positive for 20 years. "2006 CDC data tell us that about half of the just over 1 million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black."

Read the rest here.

Depressed? Appalled? Terrified? Yeah, I don't blame you. First there was the study that revealed 1 in 4 teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19 was infected with an STD, and that Black girls were infected at a significantly higher rate. Then there was the "AIDS Man" on YouTube. Now there's this. But every cloud has a silver lining. I haven't found one regarding the AIDS story yet, but another story made me feel really hopeful that at least some things are moving in the right direction.

Now, here's the Good News:

House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.

The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.

While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.

By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow."

"Jim Crow," or Jim Crow laws, were state and local laws enacted mostly in the Southern and border states of the United States between the 1870s and 1965, when African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties and were legally segregated from whites.

The name "Jim Crow" came from a character played by T.D. "Daddy" Rice who portrayed a slave while in blackface during the mid-1800s.

The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day."

"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," the resolution states.

Read the rest here.

That last paragraph is HUGE. Getting people to see and acknowledge that the effects of slavery and Jim Crow are still evident today has been one of the biggest hurdles to overcoming racism and prejudice. Even though Reparations will not be addressed in the resolution, I think it definitely leaves the area open to lay down the groundwork for future endeavors.

RE: CoupleStop. Where Couples...Swap?

Apparently I was erroneous in my assumption that CoupleStop.com is a social networking site for couples who are swingers. I got this comment from Erik, who appears to be affiliated with the website:

softjunebreeze,

You are not the only one who questions the purity of couplestop.com. Swingers are, in fact, the largest stigma/fear for CoupleStop members. That is why we go out of our way to combat swinger culture:

1) We implemented a logo indicating "No Swingers"
2) We set up non-invasive text tracking systems, which pick up key words in messages associated with explicit content.
3) We approve all profile pictures to ensure appropriate content.
4) Staff is highly accessible to concerned members and members are encouraged to contact CoupleStop, if ever they feel uncomfortable.

Having said that, CoupleStop is only responsible for on-site content and activities. The goal of CoupleStop is to facilitate face-to-face user interaction. Once a user leaves the site, we can not be responsible for their actions. I have gone out with several member couples and can attest to their quality...

The comment finished up by inviting me to try CoupleStop with a money back guarantee, HAHA. I'm not a part of a couple, so I really have no use for it at this point in time. Even if I was...um, no. I'm not going on play-dates with other couples. It's just not going to happen. However, I DO appreciate Erik coming forward to clarifying the misconception that I had. That's definitely good business savvy on their end. Accessibility and oppenness to public dialogue is a definitely a good look.