ALICIA BANKS

ELOQUENT FURY

PIMPING PAST THE REVOLUTION
 

"Music is supposed to inspire...Everything you drop is so tired..."
      Lauryn Hill

BIG PIMPIN    Jay Z
BIG PIMPIN 2   Tha Dogg Pound
EARLY MORNIN STONED PIMP   Kid Rock
AIN'T NOTHIN LIKE PIMPIN  Too Short
(etc....ad infinitum)

AMERICAN SKIN    Bruce Springsteen
DIALLO   Wyclef Jean
41:19   Public Enemy
DEVILS IN A BLUE DRESS Will Villainova
_________________

I am weary with music that degrades, exploits, and poisons minds.
I am sick of misogyny in syncopation. There is so much more to sing
about.

We are at war in Amerikkka. We who are poor or Black or female or
gay or uneducated or underemployed or underpaid... Music is
supposed to heal our war weary souls. Increasingly, music is most
often simply soundtracks of oppression, rather than solace for the
oppressed.

This pains me greatly. The only thing that pains me more is the fact
that the faces of the mindless singers of these moronic songs look like
my own. That manic mirror reflection bothers me more intensely than I
can describe...

Does it bother anyone else that a gifted humanitarian like Bruce
Springsteen is being deservedly praised for his tribute to a brother
martyr like Amadou Diallo, while a ludicrous aging gangsta rapper like
Dr. Dre is STILL pumping out genocidal garbage; with a new
trainee-wigga-of-the-month named Eminem (as in M & M; Misogyny
and Machismo) in tow???!!!

It is truly ironic that a rich white male has chosen to pen a protest song.
Clearly, it is poor Black men like Diallo who bear the brunt of
epidemic police brutality and municipally sanctioned mass murders.
So, what are most of Springsteen's young Black male industry peers
singing about as he mourns Diallo? Money, booty, jewelry, pimping,
bimbos, cars, and other hedonistic madness!!!

What motivates a racist industry that showers any fool who can rhyme
with millions of dollars? Why are there no industry scouts grooming
the next Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, or Dinah
Washington? How many more cloned gangsta rappers do we need to
hear????

I am a musicologist and a DJ. Music is like oxygen to me. I could
never live without it. I am depressed by how much popular music bores and repulses me.
To say that most radio is meaningless would be
inaccurate. Meaning is always subjective. Certainly, most popular
music is meaningless to me.

There are those who argue that music is supposed to be escapist. To
them I say: Music should never be exclusively escapist! To sing
exclusively about fantasy is to deny and lose touch with reality. The
revolution will not be televised. It will also not roll up on us in a Benz,
sport a thong, flash ice, or stroll in pimping...

This pervasive and peculiar obsession with pimping has moved beyond
music and movies to children's animation! A whole new generation of
youthful minds is soon to be poisoned by "Lil Pimp". This animated
Internet series from Mediatrip.com is now set to become an animated
feature film. Misogynist mentacide is now being marketed to the
Pokemon demographic!!!

I revere those artists who sing about things that are more real and relevant
than pimping. I thank all of them who dare to pay tribute to Diallo and
use their musical gifts to soothe and expose all of the wrongs and pains
that we endure...We need such odes to physical, mental, and spiritual
executions that occur en masse globally and daily.

No sane person can deny that Diallo was publicly executed. Like so
many others, he was simply Black, male, and disposable in eyes,
and at the ends of gun barrels, that belong to rabid agents of martial
law, also known as police officers.

Fortunately, there are always exceptions to every rule. Many African-
American artists and others have composed political songs. I deeply
regret that so very few of them are young or currently in rotation on radio or
video shows.

 The following partial list is a tribute to those who use music to inspire
rather than sabotage Revolution. (I welcome your additions to this list
indefinitely at: ambwww@yahoo.com)

STRANGE FRUIT Billie Holiday
SOUL ON ICE Me'Shell Ndegeocello
SUPERSTAR Lauryn Hill
LOST ONES Lauryn Hill
STRANGE FRUIT D'Wayne Wiggins
REDEMPTION SONG  Bob Marley & The Wailers
THEM BELLY FULL BUT WE HUNGRY Bob Marley & The
Wailers
EXODUS  Bob Marley & The Wailers
BURNIN' & LOOTIN' Bob Marley & The Wailers
WAR Bob Marley & The Wailers
NO MORE TROUBLE Bob Marley & The Wailers
IN THESE TIMES Errol Walker
SONG FOR ASSATA  Common
CELL THERAPY Goodie Mob
AXIOMS OF CREAMY SPIES Diggable Planets
GET IT STRAIGHT AFRICANS Sister Carol
COLUMBUS Calypso Rose
SONG FOR HUEY Hugh Masakela
WHY CAN'T WE LIVE TOGETHER Timmy Thomas
BIKO  Sweet Honey in the Rock
FANNIE LOU HAMER Sweet Honey in the Rock
JOAN LITTLE Sweet Honey in the Rock
NO IMAGES Sweet Honey in the Rock
SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG Labi Siffre
MANDELA Hugh Masakela
PEARLS Sade
FEEL NO PAIN Sade
LETTER TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING Sweet Honey in the Rock
JOANN LITTLE Bernice Reagon
JONATHAN  Elaine Brown
BALL OF CONFUSION  The Temptations
POWER TO THE PEOPLE The Chi-Lites
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH  Buffalo Springfield
BRING THE BOYS HOME Freda Payne
WAR Edwin Starr
ONE TIN SOLDIER The Original Caste
FORTUNATE SON Credence Clearwater Revival
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE The Plastic Ono Band
A DAY IN THE LIFE The Beatles
WAR PARTY Eddie Grant
NEW WORLD ORDER Wailing Souls
NO MIRRORS IN MY NANAS HOUSE Sweet Honey in the Rock
WITEMAN COUNTRY Mutabaruka
PEOPLE'S COURT Mutabaruka
GREAT QUEENS OF AFRICA Mutabaruka
GREAT KINGS OF AFRICA Mutabaruka
BLACK WOMAN Marcia Griffiths
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP Tupac Shakur
FREEDOM OF SPEECH Ice-T
WHITE MAN'S GOT A GOD COMPLEX The Last Poets
DEAR ROSA LaBelle
SISTER ROSA The Neville Brothers
WHEN THE REVOLUTION COMES The Last Poets
BLACK PEOPLE WHAT Y'ALL GON' DO The Last Poets
JOHANNESBURG Gil Scott-Heron
WHEN THE REVOLUTION COMES The Last Poets
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED The Last Poets
NIGGERS ARE SCARED OF REVOLUTION The Last Poets
JUST BECAUSE The Last Poets
STAY ON THE BATTLEFIELD Sweet Honey in the Rock & Sonia
     Sanchez
COLOURS Sweet Honey in the Rock
MANY RAINS AGO Lletta Mbulu
SOWETO BLUES Miriam Makeba
WELELA Miriam Makeba
ALUTA CONTINUA Miriam Makeba
19 Harold Faltermeyer
VIETNAM Jimmy Cliff
ELECTRIC AVENUE Eddy Grant
A REAL MOTHER FOR YA  Johnny Guitar Watson
AIN'T THAT A BITCH Johnny Guitar Watson
WINTER IN AMERICA Gil Scott-Heron
TUMBLING DOWN Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
CONSCIOUS PARTY Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
TOMMORROW PEOPLE Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
RE-RON Gil Scott-Heron
"B" MOVIE Gil Scott-Heron
BLACK COP  KRS-ONE
SOUND OF DA POLICE KRS-ONE
HANDS OF A STRANGER Hard Knocks
A DIRTY COP NAMED HARRY Hard Knocks
ROAD TO THE PRECINCT Hard Knocks
ARE MY HANDS CLEAN? Sweet Honey in the Rock
PIRATE JENNY Nina Simone
REVOLUTION The Beatles/Nina Simone
LET 'EM IN Paul McCartney & Wings/Billy Paul
MISSISSIPPI GODDAMN Nina Simone
THE KING OF LOVE IS DEAD Nina Simone
FOUR WOMEN Nina Simone
PEOPLE GOT TO BE FREE The Rascals
SMALL AXE  Bob Marley & The Wailers
LIKE A ROLLING STONE Bob Dylan
HURRICANE Bob Dylan
MASTERS OF WAR Bob Dylan
NOT SO SOFT Ani Difranco
EVERY STATE LINE  Ani Difranco
ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD Neil Young
FIRE & EARTH X-Clan
THEY SCHOOLS Dead Prez
MIND SEX Dead Prez
REVOLUTION Arrested Development
CRAZY BALDHEADS Bob Marley & The Wailers
STOP THE WAR NOW Edwin Starr
WE WEAR THE CROWN Gary Bird Experience
WOMAN IN CHAINS Tears for Fears
WOMAN IS THE NIGGER OF THE WORLD John Lennon
POWER TO THE PEOPLE John Lennon
WHAT'S GOING ON? Marvin Gaye
MERCY MERCY ME Marvin Gaye
WOMEN SHOULD BE A PRIORITY Sweet Honey in the Rock
IN THESE TIMES Erroll Walker
AFRICAN CHILDREN Aswaad
YOUNG GIFTED & BLACK Nina Simone
DON'T GIVE ME NO BROCCOLI AND TELL ME IT'S GREENS The Last Poets
SAY IT LOUD (I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD) James Brown
I DON'T WANT NOBODY TO GIVE ME NOTHING (OPEN UP THE DOOR AND I'LL GET IT MYSELF) James Brown
HEAVEN HELP US ALL Stevie Wonder
YOU WILL KNOW Stevie Wonder
GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand
THE GHETTO Donny Hathaway
(FOR GOD'S SAKE) GIVE MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE The Chi-Lites
BRIGHT SUNNY GHETTO DAY Crystal Waters
JUST ANOTHER DAY Queen Latifah
STONED SOUL PICNIC The Fifth Dimension
FAMILY REUNION The O'Jays
WE ARE FAMILY Sister Sledge
OOH CHILD The Five Stairsteps
CHOCOLATE Sandra St. Victor
BE REAL BLACK FOR ME Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE'S HAIR Nina Simone
FREEDOM "Panther" choir
STAND Sly & The Family Stone
KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR Bob Dylan/Randy Crawford
SPACE IS THE PLACE Sun Ra & His Arkestra
WALKING ON THE MOON Sun Ra & His Arkestra
OUTER SPACEWAYS INCORPORATED Sun Ra & His Arkestra
FATE IN A PLEASANT MOOD Sun Ra & His Arkestra
NEW DAY George Benson
BORN TO FIGHT Tracy Chapman
TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION Tracy Chapman
TO EACH HIS OWN Patrice Rushen
MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THY PEOPLE YOU'RE DYING Buffy Sainte-Marie
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE Buffy Sainte-Marie
INDIAN RESERVATION Paul Revere and The Raiders
TOO MUCH TALK Paul Revere and The Raiders
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost and The Troopers
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES Bob Dylan
AMERICAN RUSE MC5
HITLER DAY Public Enemy
HE Consolidated
THE RADICAL Russell Means
BULLS ON PARADE Rage Against the Machine
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD Bruce Springsteen
MAGGIE'S FARM Bob Dylan
SCHOOL DAYS Labi Siffre
BEHIND THE WALL Tracy Chapman
CAN'T TRUSS IT Public Enemy
FIGHT THE POWER Public Enemy
DEAR MAMA Tupac Shakur
CHANGES Tupac Shakur
BEDS ARE BURNING Midnight Oil
THE LIGHT Common
GHETTO HEAVEN Common & Macy Gray
GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand
YOUR'E PLAYING US TOO CLOSE Third World
WOULD YOU HARBOR ME? Sweet Honey in the Rock
CRAZY Seal
WHAT ABOUT ME? Richie Havens
WATCHING ME Jill Scott
A LONG WALK Jill Scott
ONE IS THE MAGIC # Jill Scott
BROTHA Jill Scott
SLAVERY'S BACK IN EFFECT Sister Souljah
DEAR GOD Willie D.
IF I WAS WHITE Willie D.
THE EVIL THAT MEN DO Queen Latifah
WAR NO MORE Wyclef Jean
NEVER B PEACE Tupac Shakur
WAR Tupac Shakur
IN A WORLD GONE MAD Beastie Boys
TWISTED SENSE OF GOD Chuck D & Fine Arts Militia
REVOLUTION Dead Prez
WAR Dead Prez
KNOW YOUR ENEMY Dead Prez
GET UP Dead Prez & The Coup
TIME FOR PEACE Digital Underground, Paris, Sway, & Tech
CASUALTIES OF WAR Eric B & Rakim
MY PEOPLE Jazzy Jeff and Raheim
SON OF A BUSH Public Enemy
BLACK STEEL IN THE HOUR OF CHAOS Public Enemy
CHANGES Tupac Shakur
DEAR MAMA Tupac Shakur
BEDS ARE BURNING Midnight Oil
MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THY PROPLE YOU'RE DYING Buffy Sainte-Marie
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE Buffy Sainte-Marie
INDIAN RESERVATION Paul Revere & The Raiders
TOO MUCH TALK Paul Revere & The Raiders
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost & The Troopers
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES Bob Dylan
AMERICAN RUSE MC5
HITLER DAY Public Enemy
HE Consolidated
502 YEARS With/Out Rezervation
CORTEZ THE KILLER Neil Young
COLORS OF THE WIND Vanessa Williams
HELD DOWN De La Soul
MILLION VOICES Wyclef Jean
REVOLVERLUTION Public Enemy