DivaSpeakTV...Amanda All Day, Diva when necessary;): Diva Speak TV Ep:9

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Diva Speak TV Ep:9

JEAAAAHHHH!!! AND ANOTHA ONE!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...: Yo Amanda u you my shero! funny real ass shit!; March 13, 2008 at 1:18 PM
Yellow Rebel said...: I posted this on my blog last night. how was that show @ SOBs?; March 13, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Mr.RGP said...: I love the tribute to Women's History Month. I'm doing the same thing on another website, so check us out if you get a chance. I had 2 problems with the vlog; 1) Can we not make Obama the "hip-hop candidate"? Why is Hillary not getting the love either? It's polarizing and no offense, but I'm not a supporter of everything Obama stands for, and I do like him. He went to HARVARD, so I don't think he needs hip-hop's support.

2) We haven't bridged the gap with the old generation either. I don't get mad at the eurocentrically trained black people. But there's fault on our ways to, and again, I don't think hip-hop should our way of expressing ourselves to them.

http://www.onthewritersblock.blogspot.com/; March 13, 2008 at 8:30 PM
Psmith said...: Why would Hilary be getting the love? Barack is an admitted hip hop listener. He's a visionary, unlike Mrs. Clinton, who has based her political career on her marriage and has created a farce of "thirty-five years of experience" - read up on it, she does not have that.

He is the hip hop candidate because he understands the struggle at the grassroots level - THAT is the raw core of hip hop. That is the hip hop of Malcolm X, the hip hop of Dr. King.

Read "Dreams From my Father"; then, try to say what you say.

You're echoing typical defeatist sentiment - "He went to HARVARD, so I don't think he needs hip-hop's support. " Shut up! DuBois went to Harvard, Diva Deev went to Columbia - the Ivy League doesn't make you immediately distinct from hip hop.

How can we defeat this if we remain defeatist?; March 13, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Mr.RGP said...: You're talking about William Edward Burghardt as if you just found out YESTERDAY that he went to Harvard. Have you read what the man had to say? Did you read Darkwater? Did you read Black Reconstruction? Did you even read his most naive book, The Souls of Black Folk? Do you really think that he would've sacrificed everything so that his legacy would be co-opted by hip-hop? He'd be opposed to its counter-product activity.

Please spare the "grassroots" hip hop speech. Why have we debased our train of thought from the Du Bois' and the Garveys and the X's to hip-hop as being our social weapon? Pardon me, but you cannot create change by spitting 16 bars. Influence, maybe. Because Obama listens to rap, that means he's down for the cause? Where's the argument in that? That's backwards strategic thinking. His experience is based on his education, as well as the work put in, not cuz he likes Andre 3000. What has hip-hop done to understand him, rather than bring him into hip-hop?

I'm a supporter, and I'd vote for him no question, I don't believe in his immigration policy. I don't believe in Hillary's grandstanding when it comes to the middle class, but I didn't need Jay-Z to tell me that. Does hip-hop shed light on any of this? No! They give him the rockstar treatment; I think we're collective TOO intelligent to go that route.; March 13, 2008 at 9:07 PM
Yellow Rebel said...: wow guys looks like we a have a heated debate up in here...feel free to take this showdown to my Amanda Diva post for ep.9...I dunno if Ms. Diva would appreciate the back and forthness.; March 13, 2008 at 9:28 PM
Psmith said...: Hip hop is bigger than words on a page; I consider all struggle for what is good to be hip hop. You claim that words cannot bring about change, to which I agree. The words do nothing on their own.

I've been reading DuBois' writings since I was twelve, so please do not accuse me of ignorance on that front.

I did not say that hip hop is what propelled brother Barack to do the work that he has done, but the work that he does is in line with what KRS calls hip hop's fifth element. Think about the first generation of hip hop artists - were they influenced by hip hop? No.
But their message and body of work was still hip hop. The Last Poets are a key example.

For a community to change, there is more of course. When one person changes for the better, those around him witness the change. Through the example of one, a turnaround can happen on a large scale. This was the key to Brother Malcolm's approach - he accompanied words with his living example of their effectiveness. One person's example can be exponential in its effect.

Unfortunately, today's young brothers are not going to the churches and mosques anymore - with Atlah and the like, we can see what they're avoiding.

We need to reach out by adapting Malcolm's means to this generation. Hip hop is that adaptation. If we rap about things that are meaningful and couple that lyrical body of work with actual effort for our youth, we shall bring about a change, my brother. I'm speaking as a youth myself - I see brothers getting involved with all sorts of garbage on the daily. We're killing ourselves.

Hip hop is not the end-all, be-all solution, but it is a means. Think about it - multimillionaire rappers have the ability to put some cash into the schools, where it is needed most. A rap might influence a young cat to read a book - that alone can bring about a transformative experience. It happened to me when I read Malcolm's Autobiography at ten; granted, a rapper didn't give me the idea, but I got into rap largely from the influence of the book.

My family has been a line of poets for twenty generations - while studying the family history, I found that each and every generation significantly impacted their communities with their poetry. In Africa, entire books of knowledge, such as The Purification of the Heart, were written in the form of poetry. These books continue to guide and inspire speakers to this day.

A sidenote, I just wish to make it clear that I hold nothing against you personally - this is a purely intellectual debate.

Diva, we can move this elsewhere if you'd like us to.; March 13, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Mr.RGP said...: I'm gonna leave my response for the deen on Yellow Rebel's blog. It's another good blog to check out; March 13, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Psmith said...: Aight brother, I'm heading to bed now but I'll check it out tomorrow morning.; March 13, 2008 at 11:26 PM
Anonymous said...: abe lincoln mixtape?????!?!?!?!?

amanda diva you on your own on that one. sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiit; March 14, 2008 at 1:07 AM
freddy said...: The Deen said...
I read Malcolm's Autobiography at ten;

at ten? come on bre'!.; March 14, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Anonymous said...: Yo Amanda,

Your show at SOB's was crazy!!! Your energy is so beautiful. I love to see your hustle and determination to showcase your talent and your love for music to the world. You have a great personality and I want to see you reach the level of success your aiming for. Please continue to represent women and the black culture to the fullest and open the eyes of those that don't understand what our movement is all about. Im striving for the same thing as a woman out here trying to make my place in this world. I cant wait to see you perform again. Oh, and if you ever need help with your street team or video production, I would like to volunteer and do what I can to help you. Stay focused.

Much Love,

Toni Hazel; March 14, 2008 at 1:07 PM
Psmith said...: What's wrong with reading it?; March 15, 2008 at 10:15 AM
freddy said...: i'm just surprised you comprehensively read something as in depth as X at ten years old...maybe your advanced...; March 17, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Psmith said...: I was staying at my uncle's house in NY that summer. I was confused and in the hood and I found it on his bookshelf. I read every word and I lost that feeling of confusion; Malcolm immediately became my hero.

The book isn't hard to read; it feels like someone's talking to you and within two chapters that someone becomes a dear friend.; March 18, 2008 at 12:42 AM
J.LOUIE DA DUKE said...: You actually thought i missed it??? lol neva that!!!; March 19, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Love the Pic's you looking you having fun, that's what it's all about.; March 20, 2008 at 10:58 AM