You have a very keen and unique insight towards a rough issue
im not sure using the jewish community and/or the gay community as comparisons
or examples of groups of people who take a certain point of view, enforcing
that view or not, to a group of people who have ultimatley explioted
themselves, as all "entertainers" MUST, is such a great idea. Hard to compare
groups of people who are practically in hiding to those who are all over the
media.
Everything in your article is truthful, and it is a shame, even in these last
days,
that the community cant pull through for itself, as you say when you use the
term
"internalized negativity"--turning around the aspects of what makes the
culture so broad and evidently expandable, by detrimanding those who use
certain terms and get backlash from doing so--   How can such a task even
begin? and if that does wouldnt the most important part of the culture- the
attachment of the aspects of society on the culture used within the culture,
be a straight dis?-- like telling a graf writer its ok to spray and bomb, but
not on trains or highway walls, or places where society thinks it "just isnt
ok"-- or the breaker who can pull off the dopest move but cant do it on his
block corner until the block party?-- or the DJ who has all the illest wax but
cant spin after midnite- imagine a curfew for music on your block--- because
someone there doesnt like one ill beat outta this shit.  yeah right... all
these cats doin this rap shit still gonna be spitn the same shit-- the newest
way to freak it and the illest way to deliver it-- no matter wut-  thats what
this shit means to us out here... to be ill at whatever you do- write, tag,
emcee, dj, break, etc...and see the next cat be just as ill- and then come
back at it with some even illa shit-- and keep it poppin... if your man gonna
buss-- you gotta buss your illa shit- if your man gonna get the two train--
you might have to get down to the five cause it hits the el more and you know
you gonna get more shine-- if your man gonna pop you gotta rock-- if your man
gonna say the en word, you gonna feed off it like all the rest of the shit
ya'll doin.-- and build from there... you see the long ride up hill?   all
that shit keeps it in the deecline...its hard to move forward when going
backwards or even standing still is all u kno--most rap cats just love bussin
and do it constantly influencin the next cat to buss back--  funny how
influence is the tru dispersal method.  everything comes from it.  like the
puff or arista erasing hebrews, or the dre/snoop erasing frisco dykes- its all
influence... you influenced me to write this to you.  rap influences the world
and look what has happend.
  Evry TV commercial has a rhyme and some sort of beat goin on. defintly some
biting daily.    Most of the networks and cable shows have incorparated the
lingo and attitude in their scripts.  More and more rap seeps into the
mainstream.. as this happens.,,, the words and actions of the culture also
seep through,,, bringing that "internal negativity" to more and more people.
Has rap really influenced the country on such a scale?  how obvious is it. DAM
it really happend and it continues to happen.   what will the next ten years
bring? if we all last that long- will it matter at that point?  rap will have
ingested evrything it possibly can and will be spewing out into the streets
where there were no streets when the shit began!  how ill is that concept!
the fact that rap has beamed its way into the kitchen of evry house in the
world- with the internalized negattivty attached to it and fueling most of the
actions of the people in the country-- what a country it will be- we are our
deep impact- we are our armageddon-  we are our own murderers. we are killing
ourselves slowly anyway-- in a nutshell-- rap shit makes all our deaths that
much closer.. i love this shit--- i always will love this shit-- rap has
changed my life- it has defintly brought a world of people together- while
slowly twisting evryone apart- almost invisibly-   yeah- internally-- you cant
see it?  i kno you can... just listen  being negative has made rap what it
is-- internal negatiivity is the name of your album and the next album and the
next album and the next... all the"albums"      too ill


The Illest

---

Dave,
I just finished reading your piece on the "N" word. You captured every 
 thought that I had about the way we are using that word nowadays. I 
 don't even use the word anymore. I will admit, when I was around my 
 close friends and some family members we would call each other nigger. 
 Now you're talking about two variations of the word. To me the only 
 difference is that one ends with an "a" and the other with a "r". Call 
 me prejudice but no matter how you spell it or say it, I will never 
 accept ANYBODY outside of my race calling me the "N" word. It's really 
 hard for me to tolerant it within my race.
Blame needs to go somewhere. Yes, I blame some of the artists that put 
 the word in their songs, but I really blame the radio and T.V. 
 stations that play these songs and allow the "N" word to play. They 
 are not bleeping out the word.
I had a real big concern last year with the word bitch. Apparently a 
 white woman artist, I believe that her name is Merideth something, 
 released a song called "Bitch". The song played fully on the radio as 
 well as the video without any bleeps. Yet, Queen Latifah makes a song 
 U.N.I.T.Y. and they bleep out "bitch". The way the Queen used the 
 word, to me, was appropriate. It made a point . There was a message in 
 the song. Yet Merideth's bitch song had no substance to it and it was 
 accepted in original form. It's these kind of one-sided examples that 
 will always give our urban, hip-hop rap , r&b style of music a veil of 
 negativity. 
Sorry I wrote so much. I just wanted to let you know that your article 
 on the "N" word was on target, on the money and right on time. It 
 would be nice if that article was picked up and spread all over this world.
Keep up the good work.
Regina H

---

Hi,
Concerning your comments about the use of "nigga", I agree with you one hundred
and ten percent!!!! I think that nowadays our people do take alot
for granted. We've come a long way, and it's been a difficult struggle. Alot of
people either don't see that or choose forget about it. Thankyou, thankyou,
thankyou, for an eloquently and well-written piece on this subject.
-Alex.

Hey Davey......much props once again for the  newsletter...i can't say it
enough!
Anway....in a sense i see where u comin from on that "nigga" tip.  And no it's
not cool when non blacks refer to us as such.....but i don't mind callN or
bein called that by my folkz....
i know u sittN there laughN at me like "what the hell is wrong with this girl"
haha
but it's just that i don't see it as negative when we use it with each other.
Well atleast not when i use it.  I guess i'd  fall in the group that flips the
word 2 empower me....us.
It's not negative to me & a lot of other folkz....it's love.  It's how i
relate to my "tru's"  my folkz that i know is "down"
Words can mean whatever  you want them to.....i don't know about you but i
don't limit myself to something  that others have pre....defined
Just look at the word creole for example.....now back in the physical slave
days it meant somethN totally different from what it means today......right?
Not only that.....but think about webster & his dictionary for a
second.....now think about the definition they have for "black"  
now they say black  is....depressing...gloomy, wicked & guess what....they
even got in there "a negro"  .....now what kind of shyt is that??
especially when u turn the pages to the definition of white....etc.
but yet......we continue to call ourselves black??
now unless u have also have a problem with us callN ourselves black then
please tell a sista what's the difference between the two??

In my opinion it just depends on who uses it & how.....& yup i feel u about
puffy & how he threw out other words.....but not "nigga"  hmm....well it
proves either one or two things......1. puffy think like me & flip the word
around to mean love or
2.  black folkz really don't have self respect

But thankz 4 takN the time to hear me on this......if u even read it
haha.....let me know what u gotta say bout it though
peace
                 much luv from the midwest ***OHIO***