Slide 15:
Our music, and it is truly OUR music..is our foundation.. How many of you can remember listening to "Say it Loud..Im Black and I'm Proud". And walking down the street with your head held a little higher. A lot more confidence in your step.. and what about.."Young gifted and Black...the music and the message within...we were told by Bob Marley to "Get up Stand Up, Stand Up for Your Rights". At no time before the Civil Rights era and the 70"s and sadly enough at no time after have we come together on one accord as a people ,as a community, and really as "one"...As Curtis Mayfield says on his latest.."Its a New World Order" and "We Need To Get Back To Living Again
Slide 16:
•Back during the late 80's and early 90's my answer to your question would have been quite different that it is right now. Remember it wasn't all that long ago when we had people like Public Enemy, BDP, Paris, kool Moe D, etc. making music that was very much like that of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets. Their purpose was to educate as well as entertain and to make you think along the way (accompanied by a SLAMMIN beat of course !!). It also wasn't too long ago when you could see the fans of this music wearing "X Caps" and other "Afrocentric" clothing. At that time I was hoping... ....that what we were witnessing a rebirth of the "Sprit of the FUNK".
Unfortunately that has not proven to be the case as we watch that particular movement fade in to history. Now it seems that if a song doesn't somehow either denigrate Black women or glorify the "thug life" it can't even get played on the radio.
What happened ????