I forgot just how much I love Slick Rick & Outkast’s “Street Talking” & how right it is for the times with all the streets talking about the never ending debate over Hip-Hop’s legacy & its global & social benefit. The accompanying video for “Street Talking” has uncle Ricky coming to pick up Slick Rick after his bid in the pen with “vivrant thing” bumping in the car, metaphorically painting the perfect picture of a black star shining as Hip-Hop comes home from the penitentiary to a new evolution that just needs a bright African sunset on the Atlantic ocean to make it come full circle in the telling of its true Hip-Hop story. This is the moment when Hip-Hop’s generations embrace the idea of mentoring for a brighter future, which Hip-Hop needs so we can move forward past the constant Russell Simmons VS Bill Cosby, Oprah VS Hip-Hop, Ashley Judd VS Hip-Hop, every feminist woman’s constant battle with her love for hip-hop that reciprocates abuse & an unsaid condoning of misogyny VS Hip-Hop & the never ending Hip-Hop  VS America formula that has become an ongoing saga with a life of its own, showing little to no real benefit in bringing change nor solutions toward the forward movement of Hip-Hop.

Questlove of the Roots allegedly set off the firestorm on twitter to help Ashley Judd sell more books, while Russell Simmons gave it the ol skool street team marketing push on Global Grind.  This usual playing on the stuck on stupid idiocy of  the public to constantly feed into this type of  made up controversy to sell products is so passé. People who have been out of the media storm for years, all of a sudden are resurrected with a vengeance of blazing glory! C’mon Son! I highly doubt that there is any coincidence that all of this “controversy” just happens to come up just as Lady O’s Network unveils the new show starring & entitled ” The Judds ” , telling all their family business at the same time that Ashley Judd drops her book doing the same, while adding Hip-Hop to give it that extra spice – taken right out of the media playbook of George W. Bush’s recent book sales efforts!

This pointless endless debate  of Hip-Hop VS the world that continues in circles without ever moving forward is so tired. We’ve been here so many times before & it never brings any real solutions to the issues affecting the Hip-Hop generation in moving forward or anything else for that matter. All this new attention to Ashley Judd is just helping her sell her book without even trying because  Global Grind & others have made it their business to conspire to help her sell books over a measly paragraph, which is neither here nor there in the bigger scope of her book, which most unfortunately would not be interested in without this type of sensationalism being played out in the media & social networks -so shame on you! Ashley Judd isn’t saying anything that has not been said by Black & White alike for far too long about Hip-Hop, but we seem to always lack focus & continue to go in circles, while the self appointed & so called  hip-hop leaders, pundits & critics alike just get more face time on TV & their names in print. YAWN!

We need our living legends to step up in true honesty & to come with a plan of action or at the very least an open mind toward collective action in deciding where we really want to take Hip-Hop, instead of just feeding the debate every time it comes around & gives a lot of people media face time. As they say there is no Money in the Cure! Does Hip-Hop need a cure? Does money trump art in a time of survival?

Hip-Hop needs to take it back to its deeply rooted elements to formulate its future thru living legends mentoring future legends for a brighter hip-hop future, where Hip-Hop is not trying to claim things it hasn’t earned honest, Man…in order for its reputation to withhold & withstand! It’s time for Hip-Hop to leave the penitentiary & to get back to taking care of home, helping to clean up this land & raising all youth to man ! It’s time for Hip-Hop to truly “Git Up, Git Out & Do Somethin’”…instead of spending all it’s time trying to Get High!!!

“Don’t try to claim things I haven’t earned honest, man..Slick Rick & OutKast is on this jam…What kid? Diamond on the 2-2 grand..Trying to help raise all youth 2 MAN..Slick the Ruler Rick..his space 2slam..Help clean up this land…The reputation of this man..Withhold and WithStand”

“you need to git up, git out and git somethin…Don’t let the days of your life pass by…You need to git up, git out and git somethin…Don’t spend all your time tryin to get high…You need git up, git out and git somethin…How will you make it if you never even try..You need to git up, git out and git somethin…..Cuz you and I got to do for you and I…[Cee-Lo]…I don’t recall, ever graduatin at all…Sometimes I feel I’m just a disappointment to y’all…Every day, I just lay around then I can’t be found…Always asked to give me some livin life like a bum…Times is rough, my auntie got enough problems of her own…Nigga, you supposed to be grown…I agree, I try to be the man I’m ‘posed to be…But negativity is all you seem to ever see…I admit, I’ve done some dumb shit…And I’m probably gon do some mo’…You shouldn’t hold that against me though (Why not?)…Why not? My music’s all that I got…But some time…must be ingested for this to be manifested…I know you know, but I’m gon say this to you I…Get high but I don’t get too high…So what’s the limit ‘posed to be? That must be why you can’t get your ass up out the bed before three..You need to git up, git out, cut that bullshit out…Ain’t you sick and tired of having to do without…And what up with all these questions? As act as though you know somethin I don’t. Do you have any suggestions? Cuz every job I get is cruel and demeanin…Sick of takin trash out and toilet bowl cleanin…But I’m also sick and tired of strugglin…I never ever thought I’d have resort to drug smugglin…Naw, that ain’t what I’m about…Cee-lo will just continue travelin this route…Without any doubt or fear…I know the Lord ain’t brought me this far so he could drop me off here…Did I make myself clear?”

We need our living legends & future legends of hip-hop to re-evolutionize hip-hop in the same Pan-African blueprint that brought global Africans to witness a global revolution of Black Stars shining & rising economically, culturally  & artistically! HIP-HOP is where Black Super Stars were & are created & that creativity is experiencing a worldwide revolution that can’t stop & won’t stop in its global takeover & makeover! It’s time for hip-hop to have a homecoming by going through with its Hollywood divorce in order to be free to invite in new life in its true Shine & Superstardom! The new era of hip-hop has a locally global face & mindset in a redefinition of fame!

“Now that I’ve got your undivided attention I’m…Gonna say this and run under condition one…Promise me you gon’ stack, promise me you gon’ ball…Promise me you’ll invest three fourths of it all…For what?So your kids, kids, kids can have some cheese…Can’t get with it? Get get get get get on your knees…Cause wealth is the word…Rich is round the corner from the curb…Don’t like what I write? Shoot me a bird…All the fresh styles always start off as a good little hood thing..Look at blues, rock, jazz, rap..Not even talkin about music…Everything else too..By the time it reach Hollywood it’s over…But it’s cool…We just keep it goin and make new shit…Take our game, take our name…Give us a little fame…And then they kick us to the curb that’s a cold thang…” Hollywood Divorce

There’s a lot of work to be done in the promise land. Let’s take heed to the many gems of lyrical wisdom in prophecy along with the musical greatness & longevity that creates a never ending legacy of a culture left behind. The late great Bob Marley cemented a global culture where he came to conquer & not to bow in the claiming of his legacy. Hip-Hop needs to look deep to hold up its past history, while finding & redefining itself  for the next generation as it comes to conquer instead of bowing down to a Babylon system. As Bob Marley Said:

“Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end…Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!…In this bright future you can’t forget your past…Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!….Man is a universe within himself…Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together – black, white, Chinese, everyone – that’s all…My future is righteousness….My music fights against the system that teaches to live and die…My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever….One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”