The Black Intel » Entertainment

That Nu-Nu…as in New Music

Nourbese — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:37:37 +0000

So I was poking around itunes and this group called the Foreign Exchange popped up as something I should check out… and I did and was pleasantly surprise on how absolutely fresh this album is. Leave it all Behind, brings funk, soul, R&B and a bit of electronic all together in a sultry album about love heartbreak and everything in between. If you need a personal soundtrack of love and love loss, this is sure hit.

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Other classics to check out:

Theses have been out awhile but if you haven’t, checked the out:

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Esperanza Spalding – Chamber Music Society

Little Dragon – Ritual Reunion

Kanye West & Jay Z – Watch the Throne

Black Feminist and The Help…. a comment on Black Women sterotypes

Nourbese — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:30:07 +0000

So it seems that Black feminist/historians stand alone in being less than impress by the help (movie), while most people really enjoyed this movie…. I’m on team black feminist though… anybody else have any thoughts? Below is a statement from the Association of Black Women Historians...

An Open Statement to the Fans of The Help:

On behalf of the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), this statement provides historical context to address widespread stereotyping presented in both the film and novel version of The Help. The book has sold over three million copies, and heavy promotion of the movie will ensure its success at the box office. Despite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers. We are specifically concerned about the representations of black life and the lack of attention given to sexual harassment and civil rights activism.

During the 1960s, the era covered in The Help, legal segregation and economic inequalities limited black women’s employment opportunities. Up to 90 per cent of working black women in the South labored as domestic servants in white homes. The Help’s representation of these women is a disappointing resurrection of Mammy—a mythical stereotype of black women who were compelled, either by slavery or segregation, to serve white families. Portrayed as asexual, loyal, and contented caretakers of whites, the caricature of Mammy allowed mainstream America to ignore the systemic racism that bound black women to back-breaking, low paying jobs where employers routinely exploited them. The popularity of this most recent iteration is troubling because it reveals a contemporary nostalgia for the days when a black woman could only hope to clean the White House rather than reside in it.

Both versions of The Help also misrepresent African American speech and culture. Set in the South, the appropriate regional accent gives way to a child-like, over-exaggerated “black” dialect. In the film, for example, the primary character, Aibileen, reassures a young white child that, “You is smat, you is kind, you is important.” In the book, black women refer to the Lord as the “Law,” an irreverent depiction of black vernacular. For centuries, black women and men have drawn strength from their community institutions. The black family, in particular provided support and the validation of personhood necessary to stand against adversity. We do not recognize the black community described in The Help where most of the black male characters are depicted as drunkards, abusive, or absent. Such distorted images are misleading and do not represent the historical realities of black masculinity and manhood.

Furthermore, African American domestic workers often suffered sexual harassment as well as physical and verbal abuse in the homes of white employers. For example, a recently discovered letter written by Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks indicates that she, like many black domestic workers, lived under the threat and sometimes reality of sexual assault. The film, on the other hand, makes light of black women’s fears and vulnerabilities turning them into moments of comic relief.

Similarly, the film is woefully silent on the rich and vibrant history of black Civil Rights activists in Mississippi. Granted, the assassination of Medgar Evers, the first Mississippi based field secretary of the NAACP, gets some attention. However, Evers’ assassination sends Jackson’s black community frantically scurrying into the streets in utter chaos and disorganized confusion—a far cry from the courage demonstrated by the black men and women who continued his fight. Portraying the most dangerous racists in 1960s Mississippi as a group of attractive, well dressed, society women, while ignoring the reign of terror perpetuated by the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens Council, limits racial injustice to individual acts of meanness.

We respect the stellar performances of the African American actresses in this film. Indeed, this statement is in no way a criticism of their talent. It is, however, an attempt to provide context for this popular rendition of black life in the Jim Crow South. In the end, The Help is not a story about the millions of hardworking and dignified black women who labored in white homes to support their families and communities. Rather, it is the coming-of-age story of a white protagonist, who uses myths about the lives of black women to make sense of her own. The Association of Black Women Historians finds it unacceptable for either this book or this film to strip black women’s lives of historical accuracy for the sake of entertainment.

Live at the Pagoda w/ Mara Hruby |Andy Allo | DJ The C.M.E

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:07:14 +0000

It was a cold, gloomy, rainy Friday. I just got out of capoeira class and I wasn’t looking forward to my trip down on Highway 880 en route to downtown San Jose. My friends were throwing an event in downtown Oakland called Roll Deep, at Era night club which is literally within walking distance from my house. What motivated me to leave Oakland and begin my trek to the southbay, a region of the Bay Area I hardly ever visit? Welp in short I told my friend/Dj The C.M.E that I was going to come out and see him spin at this event I had been meaning to go to for the longest but just had never been able to make it out to San Jose on a Friday night for the event.

The event called Live at the Pagoda, started by two very cool cats Thomas Aguilar and Michael Grammar who make up Ungrammar have featured artists as vibrant as Bilal(if you have never caught one of his live shows put that on your to do list IMMEDIATELY), as eclectic as Little Dragon and Electric Wire Hustle and a whole slew of artist in between. On Friday it featured two beautiful artists that I wasn’t up on. Hailing from Oakland was Mara Hruby, whose rendition of Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful”, was pretty NASTY( in a good way) she also had one of my FAVORITE musicians in the Bay backing her Nate Mercereau of the PARK!! Pairing up with Mara was Andy Allo from LA by way of Bamenda,Cameroon. Her ease with the crowd made her set pretty enjoyable not to mention her whole set was FEEL GOOD MUSIC the whole way through. Keeping the energy moving forward was my main man Cory aka DJ the C.M.E. Not only is he one of my closest friends but he has been honing his skills under the tutelage of the Bay Area’s own Sake1derful. If you missed it you missed it but do yourself a favor and add these folks on Facebook so you can keep yourself in the loop. Live at the Pagoda

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Shop Talk; The Salon Edition, Are Black Women too bitter to marry?

Nourbese — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:58:39 +0000

Written by “The Bombshell”

“It is a well known fact that in our culture the shops; hair salons/braid spots and barbershops, are more than just places we go every two weeks or so to revive our ‘sexy.’ The shops are places where the sexes convene to gossip, discuss and debate. Where, in a panel like discussion, each generation represents their point of view on current events. Where many of us put a human face to the negative statistics that are plaguing our community. Statistics such as; rising numbers in single-parent households, increasing unemployment rates, leading the nation in new HIV cases and etcetera. We also get advice on almost every aspect of our lives, be it sound or unsound. The Shop, it is a fixture in every African-American community.”

I was introduced into the salon life at the early age of five. It has remained a routine part of my existence ever since. As any seasoned “salon-diva” knows, with a new stylist comes a new shop and new chatter. Most of the things I have seen, learned, heard and discussed with in the salon walls have helped mold me into becoming the woman I am today. Which, upon my last visit, has given me a very important question to ponder: “Are bitter women largely at fault for the increasing disembodiment of our men and women relations, by knowingly passing on their negativity towards our men to other women?” I can hear the grunts of disgust from the women readers now. Before you blow off this blog, do me a favor, read on.

As I am engaging in the normal shop chat I share with the ladies, who are both relatively close to my age, unwed and single-parents; most of my close friends are men. For the most part when girlfriends come to the shop they’re no problems, however recently that has not been the case. For some reason one girlfriend just could not find it in her heart to like me; and before I could even finish my statement these, seemingly happy women, transformed before my eyes, verbally sparring with each other to be first to “educate” me.

“Men are animals, every man you meet wants to have sex with you! They all cheat, no matter what you believe. To them nothing is better than a new woman. His girlfriend should not like you, and I would not like you either, it’s only a matter of time before he cheats on her and you will be the first option.”

The insults and stories kept coming, amid my vain attempts of being a positive voice of reason for “the brothers” I found myself being surrounded with the classic chat “n*ggas’ ain’t [expletive]!” I left the shop shaken, shocked and just plain confused. I understand that these women have come across some bad apples, but so does everyone, it is just the nature of relationships. But what has made the majority of Black women so bitter? Even more important why are black women not realizing how this affects them in the long run?

“An even more alarming statistic is the increase in the number of both Black men and women who have never been married. Nearly 45 percent of Black men have never married and 42 percent of Black women have never married. More to the point, an increasing number of Black women will never get married. The percentage of Black women who are married declined from 62 percent to 31 percent between 1950 and 2002,” says Joy Bennett Kinnon in her article entitled “The shocking state of Black marriages: experts say many will never get married.”

This article goes on to list very important factors as to why this number is where it is, unemployment, drugs, the systemic incarceration of our community and the AIDS crisis. While all of these are very heavy and damaging, I believe that more time should be put into exploring just how much the bitterness of our women aides these numbers, as well. The bitter Black women are emasculating our men. Accusing them of being nothing more than animals that can not control their sexual drive, the very thing that was depicted in the 1915 silent film “Birth of a Nation,” this film that horrifies and disgusts our race whenever it is viewed.

Now there are plenty of bad “brothers” out there; I am in no way denying this fact. I have had my heart broken a few times myself. I am merely wondering how does it help being bitter and chopping down every Black Man’s worth within relationship standards, besides leaving you alone. Well maybe not alone, but dealing with a man that is not deserving of you just to be in a “relationship,” just to feel like you are still a contender for that “brass ring.” Or even worse settling for a man that thinks he is a “player,” checking his cell phones, cursing out “hoochies” and spying on a man at 34 years of age.

This is what our daughters sees, this is what they listen too, silently watching, putting every black man’s face to the one that is making our mommies cry. This is what is spawning another generation of bitter, Black Women. This is what continues the cycle of the destruction of the Black family.

Eve can be reached by email : e.adams@theblackintel.com

Money well spent- This week’s classic pick

Nourbese — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:38:04 +0000

U-N-I-T-Y that’s a unity. I know ya’ll remember this song from Queen Latifah’s Black Reign. Many young adults and parents alike turned on their radio’s one Jan 6, 1994 and heard aggressive lyrics, a smooth beat and cussing on the radio. UNITY stressed a real topic, domestic violence, in away that for hip hop heads can understand. This classic is coming a day later than usual, but its still the truth. Give it up for Setting it Office hardest gangsta gal…The Queen.

Money Well Spent- This Week’s Classic Pick

Nourbese — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:32:53 +0000

Baggy Jeans, girls wearing boxers, junior mafia…yeah I just brought it back to the 90′s ya’ll. This weeks classic pick is from none other than the Notorious BIG. Life after death came with the ether, this 2 cd album is definitely a classic to say the least.

You already know the tragedy that happen with Biggie, so I won’t rehash it here. But I will bring it back to the days of X-men, smurfs, teenage mutant ninja turtle and ghost busters. Sit back hit play cause only the sky is the limit.