Teen murdered after Twitter argument over Beyonce

A Florida teenager, whose family asks that he remains anonymous, was murdered Monday, after a Twitter argument about Beyonce. The boy, aged 17, allegedly posted a tweet agreeing with R&B singer Keyshia Cole about the hypocrisy over singer, Beyonce's mixed messages when it comes to her song lyrics. "Beyonce says girls run the world one minute, then wants them to bow down to her the next," writes the teen in one tweet. A twitter war ensued between the boy and several of his followers, many of whom attended his school. The boys mother reported that the boy abruptly left the house after being on the family computer at about 4 p.m. and never returned home. Investigators are looking into the Twitter conversations and have good leads on suspects. The boy is survived by two older brothers aged 19 and 25.

I grew up in the height of the rap era. I'm talking real hip hop when LL Cool J licked his lips under that Kangol and DMX scared the living daylights out of me with an album cover of him covered in blood. Those were the days when rap wasn't just a genre of music, but it was a movement. It represented a culture. But things often got heated and rap was warfare. You didn't just have competition, you had enemies and your label was often times gang affiliated. You didn't just represent where you were from, you fought for it. When Biggie Smalls was murdered, it was a sure sign that things had gone too far. During the 90's, fans crossed into a dangerous place of obsession where they believed the enemies of their favorite rap star were there enemies as well. They even believed that an entire side of the country they lived in had to be obliterated. As the wars waged between the west and the east, families mourned their loved ones and music lost two great musical icons, Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. 

Flash forward to 2013 and this same turbulent culture is evident even now in r&b music. Sure, singers are suppose to be calm cool and collected. They are suppose to make love not war but now and again, shots fire; And it's not just between the men, but between the women as well. Keyshia Cole has caused quite a stir with her controversial comments about Beyonce and Destiny's Child. With one tweet, she was able to mobilize an entire "Beehive" (Beyonce fans) into attacking her and anyone who supports her. Now we have a child dead over the silliness. We have young people who take celebrities so seriously, that they resort to crime to settle their petty difference of opinions. We have a media which exploits, fuels and encourages it. 

To be fair, Beyonce has not personally attacked anyone. (At least not by name) But her new song, "Bow Down Bitches" where she boasts about wearing the crown and curses like a drunk hoodrat, stirs an environment of hostility. Now Beyonce is by no way, shape or form responsible for anyone's murder, but she does bare responsibility in the type of messages she puts out. Telling people to bow down will surely anger some people and start heated arguments between fans. 

What a lot of people fail to realize is that young people are very impressionable and they take these pop stars very seriously. Whether they signed up for it or not, they are role models. A lot of kids do not mirror themselves after their parents but rather who they see on television. I know that was true for me when I was young watching Ally McBeal. (Don't ask) I know parents should be fully engaged in providing an example for their children but there is only so much you can do. Children will develop most of their opinions about life outside of the home. They will develop their entire personalities separate from the home as they figure out their sense of style and politics, all of which come from the media and pop culture.

I hope we can get to a place in our society where we are beyond this crabs in a barrel mentality. Where people can be proud of others successes  and where those who are on top can help bring others up with them. I too was confused by Beyonce's 180 switch. I thought at one point she wanted girls to run the world and was all about girl power and let's rock together. She's got a female band and emerged from a female girl group. But now she's commanding all of us to bow down and ignore anyone else who would dare take her spot. I feel this is dangerous for the fact that a child is dead. We seem to forget how powerful words can be and how seductively persuasive music artists can be for the youth. 

Children spend a lot of their time arguing over athletes and music artists. They spend too much of their time molding themselves around the beliefs of others and living vicariously through the lives of celebrities. This has exploded in the advent of reality television like Jersey Shore where young people are told that hard work isn't needed in life, all you need is an audition tape and many bottles of alcohol to be a star. You will be rewarded for your dysfunction (Teen Mom) and you will be popular if you act out of control. 

Beyonce has run the world for way too long. It is time for everyone to run the world. It is time for all of us to realize that we are all valuable and the accomplishments of others are just that, the accomplishments of others. You don't get to boast about someone else, go to war over someone else, you just get to prove yourself and rise to your own occasion. 

I didn't wake up in a new Bugatti, and that's FINE

Did you wake up in a new Bugatti today? Chances are, you didn't. There's a popular song that has taken over the airwaves entitled, "I woke up in a new Bugatti!" The auto-tuned rap song, which features rappers Future, Rick Ross and Ace Hood is another typical bottle poppin rap jingle which glorifies material wealth. The funny thing is, these rappers probably aren't super rich themselves. Rented Bugatti's in the video as well as loaned jewelry, they put on heirs with someone else's budget. Their roles are to bewitch the youth of our capitalistic society into the notion that money will bring you happiness, "bitches" and self worth. And with that money, there's no need to invest it into a good cause like starting a foundation or a home for a family you dream of starting, no; all you need to do is buy a Bugatti. But why wake up in a Bugatti, when you can wake up in a warm bed? It is a sad state of affairs when in this society, it is deemed more desirable to wake up in an expensive car than wake up in a warm bed in a one bedroom apartment. It is a sad state of affairs when artists like Beyonce claim that they can upgrade you with material things rather than upgrading someone with love and a deeper perspective on life.

As a Capricorn, I've always been rather frugal. When I get money, I am afraid to spend it because I enjoy the feeling of COLLECTING money and I am always paranoid of something happening tomorrow that will take away my money. So the more money I have in my reserves, the less of a sting something like a parking ticket will have. Of course, I am not rich, no where near being able to have disposable income, but I know that Bugatti's and shiny things aren't important to me. I never understood the fascination with expensive cars in the first place. Hell I've totaled three cars, but while I had my 05 Toyota Corolla, it got the job done. It may not have had a drop top, butterfly doors and one hundred dollar bills flying out of the exhaust pipe, but it was something that was mine. It was comfortable to ride in, good on gas and got my black ass from point A, to point B. See to me, a car is just a car, and I understand people have car fetishes where they dreamed of riding in a Ferrari ever since they rode their bike on training wheels.

But I just don't understand why we spend so much time worrying about the latest model, who else has it and how much it costs. Women can't just have a bag to put their shit in, they have to have a Hermes or a Coach bag. It has to have someone else's name on it, someone else's ego etched all over it. Don't you realize? This is THEIR wealth, not yours. You had to swipe your credit card to make THEM rich. At the end of the day, all you are carrying in that five hundred dollar bag is condoms, tampons and lipstick. You aren't carrying THE HOLY GRAIL.

I need for everyone to just take a long seat and understand that life is about THE LITTLE THINGS as India Airie sang when she had a career. I cannot express to you how euphoric it is to bite into a well seasoned, juicy grilled cut of zucchini on a skewer in the summer with friends who love me. The taste of my mothers sweet mint tea and the way the summer sun reflects off the ice cubes through the glass. How about those worn down slippers that fit just right. They are so comfortable and like a second skin, but they look a hot mess. But see you don't care, because they feel like home. That is what life is about. Laughing until your stomach hurts, rolling around in the grass with your dog and staring into a pair of eyes which love you unconditionally. Wealth is nothing but the accumulation of shit which has no soul, no heartbeat, it's just a security blanket. Yes we need money to survive, we need money to pay our bills and we need money to feed our children. If you have a dream, any dream, you need money to achieve it. You can't be a successful singer one day if you don't buy up some studio time to record a mixtape or demo. You can't be a successful lawyer if you don't spend money on law school. Money makes things happen but it doesn't make things easier. If money is your PURPOSE THAT DRIVES YOU, then you will NOT be successful. What should drive you is aiming for the form of happiness which will make you feel loved, secure and at peace. Striving for a mansion is empty, however, striving for a HOME to create memories in, is purposeful. If you build a mansion of wealth, all you may end up with is a bunch of walls with no one at the dinner table who gives a damn. The common story for a lot of the elite in interviews is that the grass isn't greener on the other side. P. Diddy said, (am I really quoting him?) "Mo money more problems" The common story for the elite is that they had the most fun when they were poor and trying to make it.

Fergie's song "Glamourous" illustrates how she fondly remembers the drive-thru at Taco Bell with a Mustang full of friends. I guess my point is that materialism evades a sense of self identity. If we all have a Bugatti, then what's the big deal? If we strive for it, then what makes your dreams so unique and what makes you deserving? If we all wear Tommy Hilfigure, then what happens to the idea of fashion being an art form? It's not art if it becomes commonplace. So before you dream of waking up in a NEW BUGATTI, why don't you work on waking up to begin with. Open your eyes to the splendid wonders of this earth. There is so much you have already been given. You have so many talents and there are so many amazing things you can do in this world without decorating yourself with other people's dreams. What is beautiful to you? What is happiness to you? I guarantee you, it's not 24 inch spinners or a mansion full of whores. It's something deeper. Don't dig for gold, dig for souls. We are not here for the objects of this world but for the but for the life force that is NOT OF this world. Too many of us have fallen victim to the sell spell, to the notion that THE WORLD IS TO GIVE US what we need when in actuality, we are here to give IT WHAT IT NEEDS. We are the seeds. Unfortunately for many of us, we have forgotten to germinate.
The world will not water us if we aren't even aware that we are seeds and refuse to plant ourselves firmly in that belief. This world can give you Bugatti's but what it cannot give you is LIFE. You create that for yourself and you radiate it outward so that others can catch it. When all is said and done, it won't matter about the bank statements, what will matter, is the statement you made to this world.

Keep SINGING Toni! Memoirs of Toni Braxton's Cousin

I wanted the stage, my parents wanted the pulpit. We all wanted an audience, they just call it a, "congregation." It's what people have in common, not their differences. P.K. That's what I was. I never asked to join the club but I was a born member. My mother, was the breadwinner, working as a Pastor but also a dedicated school teacher in the hard knock city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dinner table conversations involved my mother's school teacher horror stories. She'd tell us of bloody fights and kids crying on her shoulder because their parents couldn't afford to get them shoes for school or school supplies. My mother always came home tired, but she never came home without a smile. She was an amazing, loving, nurturing mother to my sister and I, but she was also of the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child. This is why she chose to become a school teacher, she knew that many kids were not able to go to private schools like my sister and I. She understood that many kids didn't have a mother who wouldn't allow their kids to be absent of the words, "I love you," so she cared for her students as if they were her own. She policed them, mentored them, nurtured them, taught them and fed them.

My father was a jokester, I guess that's where I get my humor from. But he would never fail to intimidate anyone who met him for the first time. He had this no-nonsense vibe to him and had strong convictions. He was a get-the-congregation-shouting type of preacher. He commanded the pulpit and commanded his household. We were made to contribute to the house with hard chores and we were expected to make good grades. If we acted out, we better had been prepared for a belt or whatever he could find to hit us with. For me that was rather often since I had a Tamar Braxton mouth! It was all in love, because he was always there for us, emotionally and physically. He was there for my Cub Scouts badge awards and there for my auditions. He would encourage our dreams and always told me everyday when dropping me off at school, "Believe in Yourself."

My elementary level years

As a young boy, I always knew I was gay. I knew it in first grade. The way I felt when Shawn would look at me with that big gap in his mouth, shit I just had to sit next to him in class. I got Tuesday Tibbs to hand deliver a letter from me. (I was born a writer) I told him that I liked him and wanted to be friends. It worked. I didn't know it then, but that was the beginning of my pimpin'. I have always gone after what I wanted, whether it be men or my career goals, Thus my crazy spontaneous idea of auditioning for American Idol at nineteen. I wanted so bad what my distant cousin Toni Braxton had. I wanted to perform. I didn't care that there were those who said I couldn't sing well enough, or that feminen boys could never become superstars. Afterall, I grew up looking at Prince videos and that dude wore high heels!

A Toni Braxton stan? That's an understatement. When I was seven years old, I sang "BREATHE AGAIN" to an audience of stuffed animals in my bedroom. My mother overheard me and basically lost her breath as she opened my door. She instantly encouraged me to do plays and persue music and entertainment. I guess mothers always see in their kids what they can't see in themselves. Toni Braxton seemed to be everything that I was...including a woman. I have to admit that there is a woman inside of me! Not just a woman honey, a DIVA!

So I grew up with the last name Braxton from my father, Rev. Braxton. I later decided to go with the last name Parker so that when I got famous, I'd be my own person. But I always felt like one of those famous Braxtons because afterall, me and those women had so much in common.

Toni's father is Rev. Braxton as well. Toni was a preachers kid; so was I. Toni studied to become a Teacher, my mother is a teacher. Toni is from Maryland; I am from Maryland. Toni had a reletively strict upbringing; so did I. Toni wanted to perform growing up and no one really believed she could do it, well, that is my story as well. Toni had so much in common with me that I became obsessed. I forced my mother to take me to see the broadway productions she was in; BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and AIDA. That was the highlight of my childhood!


  Me with the Gay Beauty & The Beast

My dad always told us that we were related to her, however my dads father was never in his life. My dad didn't know any of his extended family. The only side his family I knew was his sister and my first cousin. So we didn't get to see Toni at family reunions and there were no photos taken with her. But I was proud to be related to someone I idolized. Of course no one ever believed me when I said I was her cousin. People expect a "cousin" to have photos and the person on speed dial.

The only encounter I had with Toni wasn't an encounter at all. My mother knew how much I looked up to Ms. Braxton. My mother was the kind of woman who could talk her way into anywhere. It was no surprise because she started out as a reporter. (She was close friends with Oprah Winfrey when she worked as a newspaper reporter and Oprah worked for a Baltimore news station)

Toni was breath-taking in AIDA. My mother is a strong woman, like Toni's mother. She stood with me at the stage door and talked to anyone who went in that door and came out of it. She handed her card to some stressed out looking woman and told her who we were. "We are Toni's cousins from Baltimore. It's cold out here and we would like to say hi to her," said my mother. She simply wasn't having anyone ignore her. My mother never believed in celebrity status, she simply believed in PEOPLE. And that's what Toni Braxton was to her, A PERSON who needed to see her shivering son!

The woman said she would talk to Toni and would be right back. She said Toni may be able to see us inside, but that Toni was tired. The woman returned a few cold minutes later to say that Toni wasn't feeling well but sends her love. She gave us signed headshots and a personal note from her to us. I was appreciative of the note, but I wanted to see Cousin Toni in the flesh! My mother looked at me as if to say, "Oh no she didn't!" But I told my mother, "it's ok, Toni is tired, I am sure I can see her again another day."

Having Toni Braxton write, "Stay Cute!" on my headshot was satisfactory to me. You see, I was trying to become a child star and so I carried around headshots like a true diva!

Years later, I had a health scare at age eighteen. My liver wasn't functioning correctly, I was pale and in the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The word Cancer was something I never expected to hear being a freshman in college. What made it worse was the doctors weren't really sure what the hell was going on with me. After I was released I went into a deep, dark depression. It was nothing new, I had suffered depression throughout childhood. I had a therapist and suicide attempts by age sixteen!

I was nineteen and in college. I was visiting my parents in Washington, D.C. I was with a friend  riding by the Washington Convention Center and saw crowds of people. There were TV cameras and of course, I just had to hop out of the persons car I was in and investigate. I'm the type of person where if I see a camera, I am plotting and scheming to get in front of it. I started asking people in the crowds what was going on and they said, "American Idol auditions!" I just knew I had to get in on that action! I didn't expect to be on TV, Hell I didn't expect to have to spend the night on a cold hard ass floor next to thousands of strangers either! But I did it! I went through three auditions. The first was in front of some grumpy old man who made me and several others take turns singing in a line. It was like a firing squad. He dismissed all of them except for me. I sang, "How Could an Angel Break my Heart" by Toni. "I like your delivery," He told me. I felt special. The next audition was with the producers of American Idol. Being me, I couldn't just get up there and sing, I had to make comments about my voice being a little rough but I am still fabulous. I didn't know they would all crack up laughing before I started singing. I got my ticket and the executive producer actually said I can sing. He liked one of my songs, "Chesnuts roasting on an open fire" Now you couldn't tell me I wasn't Brian McKnight honey. Well, little did I know, they do that on purpose. Blow your head up so that when you are in front of Paula and them, you are so cocky that you make a fool out of yourself. And that's just what happened. Drunk ass Paula Abdul laughed at me and said I sound like an alien. Randy Jackson called me "Dawg" and just shook his head. Simon was the nicest but he wasn't feeling it. He actually seemed like he liked me as a person. Needless to say, I am glad Paula Abdul ended up being the unemployed one.


Paula when I met her....

Resilience

So I told producers I was Toni Braxton's cousin. That got me an interview with Ryan Seacrest, which got me a full 15 or so minutes of exposure on American Idol. Complete with exit interviews and editing which centered the other rejects around me. It filmed in August but the show wouldn't air until January. I honestly didn't think I would even be on television. I figured if I was, it would just be a small clip of them laughing at my ass and me being on my merry way. I wasn't expecting a feature in People magazine, a gig on MTV's SPRING BREAK and a performance on Donnie Deutch, The Big Idea. It was an embarassing 15 minutes of fame because my singing was less than extraordinary, but it was a fun ride. I got free trips and got to mix and mingle with industry people. The person I didn't get to mix and mingle with was Toni Braxton, however. I felt like she was somewhere laughing at me too. Like, who'se this crazy untalented guy who thinks he's my cousin? That's what I've always imagined her thinking of me. I know she saw the audition because a radio show asked her about it. "Is he your cousin?" They asked. "He might be." She said, But she refused to comment any further on my "talent" level. She could have read me to the Gods.

6 Time Grammy Award winner, why stop?

Toni Braxton will never read this but I was up late after seeing her in an a Wendy Williams interview. Hearing her talking about once studying to be a teacher erupted all of these thoughts in my head, namely the things we have in common. I love her to death. I have supported everything she has done. Now that Toni Braxton is quitting music, I feel depressed. I feel like I've been through so much war and she really needs to at least finish her music career on a high note. I sang her song on national television and got laughed at and JUMPED on my college campus because of that audition. NO, TONI YOU NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER ALBUM!

Even if only one person buys your music, you have at least changed one life. Toni Braxton saved my life, more than once. Her sultry contralto sang me out of suicide more than once. The hope of becoming an entertainer of some sort, just like her, kept me going. The way she wasn't afraid to be vulnerable in her music helped me to come out of my shell. She helped the shy, insecure, self-hating boy who just wanted to be "normal" and kiss the girls. She helped him to breathe again.

ALICIA KEYS LESBIAN SEX TAPE?

Ever since Alicia Keys exploded on to the scene with her smash hit, "Fallin'", rumors have swirled about her sexuality. As she displayed a hard Hells Kitchen, New York swag with pants and cornrows, her testosterone party had people talking, "is she gay?"

Alicia Keys (Left) Dana Owens (Right) HOW THEY DOING?

For one, I am a gay man and I couldn't care less about anyone being gay, straight, bisexual or confused. What I do care about is the need to feminize one-self to sell records just to be "mainstream." Over the years, Keys has taken out the braids, straightened her hair and put on designer dresses to appeal to the estrogen loving masses. Her debute album, Songs in A minor, showcased her deep speaking voice which often times wasn't afraid to curse like a typical G standing on a New York corner. I was instantly a huge young fan of Keys with her relatable lyrics and melodies which caught me up in a rapture of a groove. But as the years went by and the dresses got even tighter, her depth faded and I knew it was all over when she teamed up with the industry whore, Beyonce, for a song that was cheesier than a Britney Spears perfume commercial.

Keys in a warm embrace

But just as Alicia Keys is at the height of her career, butchering the National Anthem at the 2013 Super Bowl, her secrets come out. That's right, she may not be willing to tell anyone's secrets from their "DIARY" but the world is surely about to read hers. An anonymous woman from Queens, New York is set said to have a very interesting five minute or so video of Keys in a very intimate situation with her. The footage was allegedly shot not long before Keys exploded on the scene. A blurry still shot of Keys with her arm around this latina looking woman is sure to excite the imagination of anyone watching. This is similar to the strange video of a butchy NICKI MINAJ LOOKA-LIKE that was said to be proof of Nicki's natural DOM lesbian ways. The video sparked heated debate amongst believers and skeptics, especially since the woman in the video never came out and said it was her and Nicki never refuted it officially. If this woman looks like Alicia Keys, I'm sure the same will happen.

Why are these entertainers still so reluctant to come out of the closet? Look, for all I know, Alicia Keys is straight and actually loves Swiss Beats and his penis. She may have stole him from Mashonda or maybe they used to have threeways? Who knows and really, it's none of our business. But what is our business is the fact that these entertainers claim to promote "girl power" and "self love" and call themselves "Queens" yet they are in such a self-ashamed relationship with their image. Queen Latifah, I'm looking at you...

What's on the COVER is never the full story

Raven Symone & alleged fashion model girlfriend 

Raven Symone doesn't seem to think it's anyones business who she dates, male or female, yet she openly supports gay rights. Why support gay rights if you can't even reveal your sexuality? Relationships should be private, I can understand that, but no one expects for heterosexuals to keep their SEXUALITY STATUS private. You don't see Beyonce hiding her heterosexuality to the world, she just hides the details of her marriage. But to the question of being GAY, all of a sudden it's private? How is that empowering any one? Especially young girls who are struggling with their sexuality. If Raven is ashamed, then I should be as well. Great message bitch! What is empowering is women like Ellen Degeneres coming on television and staring into the camera saying, "I am gay!" What is empowering is Lance Bass, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon and Andy Cohen not giving two fucks about anyone's views on sexuality because you know what, Wanda Sykes is raising her babies and loving her white wife whether you like it or not. But what is it about Black Women in music where they feel they can't be gay or their careers will be over? Surely we live in an ever increasingly liberal world where gay isn't a dirty word anymore. But then again, the Black world is a different story. Black people are said to be the most homophobic of them all and I can attest to that having grown up a gay preachers kid in the Black church.

I haven't seen this tape, I have just heard about it's existence and it was described to me. What I will say from MY OWN PERSONAL perspective is that Alicia Keys doesn't seem completely straight. Something has my GAYDAR flashing red. I respect Keys and her work with AIDS and everything else but if she is living a double life, then it's time to stop promoting that lifestyle of shame.

The Queen and her "friend" BET doesn't like this 

What we need is more Adam Lambert's of all sexes, music genre's and races who are bold in their sexuality as the "mainstream" heterosexuals who boldly express and propagate theirs.

I am a proud and out GAY BLACK MAN and I've had to battle a lot of Hell from my own self and the world to get to this point. I know what it's like to grow up suicidal, confused, self-hating and lacking confidence in a world of bullying. I know what it's like to be seen as an abomination, something abnormal and something that needs to be changed. I've tried to pray the gay away, it didn't work and I'm glad it didn't! Whatever gets anyone's rocks off is their business, but if you are going to be a public figure and advocate self-love and tolerance, then you better practice what you preach. You can't exist in a closet and sing about freedom.

LUST & WAR

LUST & WAR

 

Holding your fingers in my palm

Your eyes never look into mine.

You aint thinkin' about me

but I can't get you out of my mind.

 

Last night we made love

Kissing with eyes closed.

But the sun rose on emptiness

I'm not the one you chose.

 

His photography

decorates your walls

You jump out of bed

The second he calls

 

Why am I here?

Shedding a tear

When I'm just a job

No where near a career.

 

I scream your full name

Love you never exclaim

But my delusions

Believe that sex is the same.

I've been here before

Self appointed whore

Reading too much

into lust and war.

 

We've made it this far

Dating others

who we hurt

I tried to play it cool

But you took off your shirt

 

Now I'm down on your rugs

No pillow talk in the bed

I'm strung out on drugs

Hallucinogenic newly wed

 

And in darkness of motels

Sometimes in your room

Drunk from the cocktails

Arousing adrenaline turns to gloom

I deserve so much more than this

Leaning over my body

Like I'm what's next on the list

 

Between love and lust

there's an eighty foot fence

I feel I can jump it

God please grant me common sense,

To leave this behind

Find something that's mine

I'm tired of fraudulent feelings

arresting me like a crime.

 

Love isn’t in store
I’ve been here before
Reading too much…
Lust and War.

-Isayaah Parker
(c)2012

 

 

WHITE IS RIGHT: Real Housewives of Atlanta

Obama will be sworn in for his second term in a few weeks and Black people are finally more than butlers and maids in movies and TV shows, but it doesn't mean we aren't still exploited.
Andy Cohen's Bravo channel has done a lot for the careers of Black people as well as gays. But what I find fascinating is the need for the Real Houswives franchise to be segregated. Now that Kim Zolciak is gone from Real Houswives of Atlanta, that show is "the black one" and the 5 million other housewives shows are white, or "NORMAL" I say normal because ever since I can remember, I'd go to the toy stores and what did I see? White Barbies and White action figures on FULL DISPLAY in the front;
But behind them or somewhere on the bottom shelf, hidden from view was the dusty black versions. Toys are often segregated by race and kids are indoctrinated into the notion that the white doll is the normal doll but more than that, THE PRETTY DOLL. This hasn't ended. Nicki Minaj is touring the world promoting her WHITE IS RIGHT agenda. Calling her fans "Barbz" and making herself look as white as possible. Oh come on Barbz, stop being delusional, have you ever seen a BLACK Barbie at the store with blonde hair, blue eyes and hanging out with Ken?
Yes her "Ken dolls" are supposedly her male fans. The real white barbies of Beverly Hills and the real white barbies of New Jersey are the normal ones and the ghetto dusty black barbies reside in Atlanta and mostly black people watch them. In order for these real black barbies to get famous and get notoriety, what do they have to do? They have to subscribe to the Nicki Minaj strategy. They have to WHITE WASH THEMSELVES.

Nene Leakes said in one of her confessionals last season when referring to her white boyfriend, a friend of Donald Trumps, "White is right!" I'm not making this up, this is a real quote from her. Of course you noticed how Nene looks awfully different than what she looked like when she first came on the scene. Oh yes her nose has been slimmed down, her hair has become blonde and she hangs out with every rich white man she can find. Not to mention starring in White sitcoms as the token black bitch that everyone laughs at. Like a sideshow, like a circus. Yes, we are still segregated but we are doing it to ourselves. We are allowing for this, "White is RIGHT" mentality to fester in our communities and to explode on screen. What is also true is that for black people to get uber-successful (the term successful is subjective) they have to white wash or be clowns. For instance, black women tend to have to be ghetto but white looking like Tamar Braxton and black men have to be clowns like Eddie Murphy or Tyler Perry. (Dave Chappele discussed this in depth in interviews with Oprah & James Lipton) I don't understand why there can't be more diversity, why blacks and whites can't star in shows together without it being blatently obvious that the ONE black person was picked to meet a quota, or in the Real Housewives of ATL case, the ONE white bitch was picked to meet a quota. This is a society obsessed with segmentation. Look at all the tv channels for each group. Do Black people really only listen to Lil Wayne and Mary Mary? Or has this been force fed to them? I'm black and I don't care much for Jesus or gospel music yet Black entertainment television thinks that I do. I really don't care for booty shaking hoes, not because I'm gay, but because the music is a bit trite. Now you might say, Isayaah, what about The Cosby show? What about The Fresh Prince of Bel Air? Yes, there has been some positive images of blacks on tv where they didn't have to white wash or be clowns. But those examples are minimal compared to the onslaught of coonery going on. It's hard to be black and proud when all I see is black celebrities with caked on foundation that's five shades lighter than their ass. You may say that I am part of the problem, I do watch some of these shows and I do make video reviews of the Real Housewives, it's entertainment, I am not saying to boycott it. What I will do is address the issues and write the networks. Black people have so much to offer with all of their diversity, but Toys R Us only advertises Alicia Keys, and throws India Airie in the clearance aisle.

How to be SUCCESSFUL in life

Being a black agnostic never makes you popular, especially a preachers kid like me. But I stand tall in my beliefs of simply, "not knowing" and I ignore the critics. That being said, I don't believe in a red tailed, egotistical devil who lives underground and torments people for doing his dirty work in life. It seems to me that such a devil would reward his followers. Christianity just doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but you can find more of my thoughts on that in my earlier posts.
I've been trying to be famous for quite some time now. I guess it's the fact that I've always been invisible. Let's travel back to when I was in grade school; sitting in the back of the bus wondering why no one wants to sit next to me. I remember being a class clown but all anyone would do is laugh at me instead of really getting to know me. I've always wanted more attention, I've always wanted to be seen. Even in adult relationships I've been wondering why men see right through me. It's like I'm not even there, they treat me like a movie ticket, using me to get into a show, and disposing of me after. I've always wanted to inspire people, to tell stories, to perform, but getting famous like I want has proven to be a little more difficult than I thought. Yes I can audition for American Idol like I did in 2004 and get 15 minutes of fame, but its fleeting. During that time, I was exposed to a lot of celebrities and a lot of bullshit. I had men in suits following me and telling me who I could become. I had people trying to influence me, I saw shady people and shady things. I had a sense that I could join the club if I subscribed to certain things. The fact is, they will control you and the ones who can't be controlled, they want nothing to do with. Think about how easy it is for fame and fortune to be taken away from you. Toni Braxton for instance. This doesn't take away from my hustle, I still believe in myself and I WILL achieve my dreams whether in this lifetime or the next. The video above is a parody of what it seems like people have to do in life to be successful. Whether it's being a Broadway performer or a successful business person like Donald Trump, you're going to have to lose a large part of yourself if you want to play with the big boys. What the conspiracy theorists call it is
"selling your soul" to Lucifer to join the Illuminati but I don't think it's quite that Biblical. In all facets of life, we have to compromise and do things we don't want to get what we want. But the question is, what are you willing to compromise? Are you willing to compromise your morals?
If no one shows up to my one man show then that is fine, at least I am trying, at least I am performing. I'm starting to realize that it's not about the fame and glory, but more about the expression. More about doing something that I love to do for no reward. In life, we are constantly bombarded with notions that we need validation in everything that we do. In grade school, we don't learn just to learn, we try and do a good job so that the teacher can REWARD us with a gold star sticker. I used to be so happy when I got that sticker and so angry when I didn't.
I guess what I'm saying is, it's not about the gold star in life, it's about learning. It's about the profound things that happen when no one is looking. You ever feel like you are at your best when you are alone? Say when you are in the bathroom in the morning, ever feel really confident while singing and dancing in the shower? That's because there is no one there to judge you. You are completely YOU with no compromise or apologies. That's how we should all be out in the public arena. You don't sing in the shower to get a Grammy, you sing because it's silly and fun.
So before you sell yourself to a non-existent Lucifer, ask yourself, "Do I need validation?"