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baeddel · 4 years

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@androfem has made a number of good posts about transmisogyny, addressed to a milieu I’m very glad not to be part of anymore. I wanted to run off of something they wrote in this one...

[2.5k words. transmisogyny, racism tw. epistemic status: Hawkeye Gough]

while hedging an argument in the second paragraph, they write “i’m by no means someone who can definitively say what tme/tma mean” (thus preparing us to hear a definition but to treat it as nondefinitive), but that they see the acronym ‘tme’ (’tranmisogyny exempt’) as “the most palatable attempt trans women and transfem nb people have made towards identifying whether other trans people are one of them or not, and other trans people communicating that as well voluntarily.” By palatable they mean to other people in their milieu, who they spend the rest of the post attacking over the reasons they found all the other terminology (casab etc.) unpalatable. Their criticisms are all quite good.

But - am I crazy, or, aren’t they wrong in this quote? The way I remember it, trans women did not come up with the term ‘tme’. This was something that tme people came up with themselves. The use of tme would eventually become imbricated with the disuse of casab, under the argument that casab requires you to ‘out’ yourself, and so on, which was its own controversy. But originally it wasn’t related to this reservation or at least I never experienced the two as connected. tme was something that, to us, came out of nowhere; it was something like an alien bacteria penetrating the atmosphere from the belly of an asteroid; it woke us up to a whole neighbouring discourse that we were unaware of. That neighbourhood was made up of cis women, trans men, and nonbinary cafabs who were beginning to grapple with the ‘transmisogyny question’. At the time, most people did not take the concept of ‘transmisogyny’ seriously; many people still believed that trans women had male privilege and so on. It was a huge surprise to us to find a whole emerging discourse of non-trans women who believed transmisogyny was real and took it seriously enough to invent their own terminology for describing it.

It’s possible you can trace the coinage to some trans woman somewhere. But at least, at the time that we encountered it, we understood it to be the self-description of non-trans women. A lot of trans women at the time reacted very negatively to this. One of the main criticisms was that tme was not a ‘coherent category’ - could we say that it tries to be too definitive, ie. a definition that overapplies? The anxiety was that it would collect the experience of subjects which cannot rightly be put together; trans men, cis women, cafabs, whoever else, do not all experience patriarhcy(!) in the same way. They all have different proximities to misogyny, emotional labour (when you were still allowed to say that), access to community, sexual access & availability, and so on. Later or earlier, I don’t remember, this same discursive device would be used by trans women against casab; we were derided for “treating casab like a coherent class.”

Androfem may be surprised to learn that this criticism orginates with trans women, if they weren’t there for this. The gesture returns, later on in their post, when they chastise others in their milieu for reading trans women’s arguments in bad faith. They caution that “the assumption shouldn’t be made that [a transfem is] completely unaware of or in denial about” all of the various nuances of proximity whenever she says “definitively” (emphasis mine) that “tme people aren’t affected by transmisogyny”. At this point, the taboo on definitions reaches a delerious extreme - Androfem’s peers take issue even with this tautology! And the solution Androfem proposes is not to take the claim seriously, but to secretly insert something that disrupts it, imagine some inapplicable cases, and so on, and, further, to assume that she is also doing it behind the scenes. Androfem identifies this obsurantism with transmisogyny; their peers cannot bear to take a trans woman seriously, so they will always send her work back and demand a new more palatable analysis. And we trust they are right to make this diagnosis; but this trans woman experiences it as the terrible return of her own native discourse. What we sowed in 2012 they now reap in 2021.

Why has this discourse progressed to such an epistemologically vicious place, where no statements about gender are possible? Baudrillard would enjoy watching our transsexuality become transpolitical. For whatever unconscious reason, whenever we are presented with a master signifier capable of rendering the transcendental field, we are immediately compelled to castrate it. Our destiny is to constantly throw discourses into indifference. Maybe. But the more direct lesson is that something went wrong with the method of analysis we employed to explicate transmisogyny in 2012. What went wrong?

Maybe we can begin with some statements in Androfem’s post and work backwards. They write that “tme people benefit ... from transmisogyny”, although they insert in parenthesis “(some more than others)”. This was an analysis we would have subscribed to in 2012. In 2021, we now want to ask: who benefits and in what way? Who benefits more, who less, and why?

It’s true that transmisogyny brings some profit. Growing up as trans girls we are often deployed as women are deployed; we become the older sister, surrogate mother, and secret girlfriend. Whenever our peers see us in the correct light and notice our softness (to borrow a Saxon term), they exploit it. For boys the profit derives primarily from our socially acceptable proximity in the enforced homosociality that children in our culture endure. The trans girl is a girl who you can have sleepovers with, who you can have in the boys locker room, and so on, and therefore have early sexual and emotional access to. Girls generally exploit it a little later on, when heterosexual relations are expected. The trans girl can be a special kind of boy, like a ‘gay best friend’, but who is sexually available. Both boy and girl cast their brief teenage becomings on their own special gendered Other who is capable of facilitating it by her difference. Contra Balzac, it is precisely her castration that allows her to function as a superavailable Other, not (yet) as an overproximate Same that makes us recoil.

This relation of the tme to trans women dominates in the Bay Area of California, where trans women have resumed some of our traditional roles as temple functionaries. You probably have some homeless or recently homeless or about-to-be homeless trans woman (lets say she is ‘having to be homeless’) in your overcrowded apartment who will always be there to help you process your gender feelings and is probably down to fuck if you can get over yourself and make a move on her.

But these wages of transmisogyny are transitory and marginal. While most trans women will have encountered some of these kinds of exploitative gendered relations, it is by no means a universal experience of tme people. And, whats more, it is possible to have these relations, with the same benefits, which are not exploitative. I have known many cis girl-trans girl couples who got together under the bonds of enforced heterosexuality because of the profit each had for the other - the trans girl is not threatening, better about her boundaries, and so on, perhaps because of her own experiences of sexual exploitation; the cis girl, for equally contingent reasons, just ‘gets it’, and doesn’t try and make a man out of the trans girl - and when the trans girl realizes she is trans and comes out to her partner, the two track an escape route from heterosexuality together. There is no reason to expect it to always go one way, exploitative, or always the other, emancipatory. Is the cis girl ‘benefitting from transmisogyny’ in this scenario? Is she perhaps benefitting less than others, or more than others? I think that we cannot easily analyze every relation between person and person in terms of cost and benefit; even when we are bound by structures of domination, we cannot already anticipate the outcome. At the same time, if such experiences are rare, we aren’t surprised, because we know that the desiring-situations are staged in a certain way that makes discovering these kinds of escape routes difficult.

But simaultaneous with these occasional benefits, 1. transmisogyny is usually damaging to a trans woman without bringing any profit to her persecutor, and 2. transmisogyny is usually damaging to a tme person as well. Don’t you think so? Superficially, it acts as a limit on your presentation; all cis men growing up experience limits on their behaviour, backed by punishments, to prevent or destroy whatever might seem transsexual in them. Maybe it plays a similar role in the upbringing of cis women, trans men, cafabs, etc., in ways that are waiting to be articulated? On a deeper level, transmisogyny - as the hygeine of gendered categories, the social governance of presentation, etc. - plays a crucial role in the overall desiring-situation of oppressive heterosexuality; it creates a series of taboos, anxieties, myths and harsh realities which, in some indirect way, help to maintain heterosexuality’s renewal in each successive generation.

I think some harm was done by a too-ready application of frameworks developed to analyze white supremacy to the question of gender. The progressive leitkultur in those days was still the ‘invisible napsack’. While for transmisogyny the benefits are merely occasional, there are universally accessible wages of whiteness. White people enjoy a distorted labour market; the deterritorialization of black neighbourhoods creates (barely) affordable apartments for (eg.) white students [the scenario with the Oakland enaree we described implicitly takes place in one of these apartments]; and, most generally, there are habits of prosociality between white people which are difficult to break that continually renew the same distribution of wealth, status, care and intimacy [Eldridge Cleaver referenced Harry Golden’s gag about ‘vertical integration, horizontal segregation’ (pg 67) as a good description of race relations in Folsom; we find it to be a good description of race relations in the trans community as well].

When we tried to apply these readymade frameworks to transmisogyny, we found it difficult to construct relevant categories. Transmisogyny could not be domesticated to a form of exploitation metaphorized in economic terms. Therefore, every further demand for a ‘materialism’ that could clearly enumerate the relationships of exploitation would be frustrated, finding only edge cases and anecdotes. There was no underlying machinery that always produced this or that outcome. Therefore, each category was “incoherent”, too definitive, unable to capture what we took for an underlying system that was just out of reach. But the problem was only a misplace of focus. Transmisogyny is not really a system of exploitation; it’s the nightmare of a patrilineality that cannot enforce its borders. It is necessary therefore to move beyond categories like oppression and privilege, bigot and victim, exploited and exploiter, and deal with the domination that captures both ‘tme’ and ‘tma’ in its ruses. Now we can answer some of the old warhorses; CASAB is not a class which we can say anything about, nor is tme or even tma; it is rather the residue of a paternal subjugation, a ‘weight of dead generations’ that everyone confronts moments upon their exit from the womb; a universal coercive sexuation which we cannot help but encounter, combat or obey, enforce on others and despair in our private moments. Everyone, everywhere, is aware of the problem; and the exit is waiting, somewhere, as yet undiscovered, for anyone to seize.

So much for the riddle of 2012. In 2021 the situation is not really the same. Androfem’s milieu were not socialized by anti-revisionist parties and do not metaphorize their experiences in economic terms. Their platform is a sort of legalism. They enter into a discourse which has been a continuous bloodbath for twelve years (the relevant year for them is not 2012 but 2009, and the website not tumblr but wordpress); every discussion has already been had; what is necessary now is only to enforce the common law precedent. They are obliged to accept the existence of transmisogyny because it was already accepted before they got there; they don’t really understand why and are not curious about it. They are not gender abolitionists, but inclusionists. If they had lived thirty years ago they would probably have been exclusionists and thirty years before that, inclusionists again. Every conversation begins with some pious disavowal, ‘I can’t believe we’re having this conversation again...’ Everything has already been tabulated in their stare decisis; asexuals are not lgbt, queer is a slur, cottagecore is colonialist, and so on. What motivates them is primarily some irrelevant triviality like whether this or that fanfiction is normalizing abuse or whatever. It is thus easy to see why Androfem argues that the old taboo on being definitive is transmisogyny; in their milieu it is a strategy for rendering the anti-transmisogyny laws unenforcable. If the law is ever invoked there is a loophole; look here, you missed this nuance...

Much of that milieu - from my own experience with it - is dominated by TERF cults that essentially run friend groups as front organizations; they start off siccing teenages on each other over shipping drama and soon encourage mobbing trans women undesirables. These networks were active on wordpress in 2009, they were on tumblr when I joined in 2012 (where they were able to leverage irl connections to intimidate members of my friend group who were organizing), and they are running discord servers and stalking tumblrs here in 2021. [If anyone from that scene is reading this far and this sounds at all familiar to them: I’m sorry but, yeah, you’re in a cult. You’re better than this! The fandom drama commentariat is not really worth trying to reform. Sauve qui peut!]

These are normally crypto-TERFs who are ‘officially’ inclusive of trans women and, in fact, their friend-group cults are usually full of trans women. Trans women, we have to say, make the most ruthless transmisogynists. To this extent we must disagree with Androfem when they say that “the smallest demographic in [TERF] communities are transfems”; in my experience transfems have sometimes been the most numerous, and it is precisely because TERFs are organized around transmisogyny. The reasoning behind this paradoxical outcome is understandable only in terms of dianetics and thetan space operas.

Anyway. I have sometimes felt that transmascs need some kind of Prince of their own; someone who is able to articulate his own transsexual line of critique in the face of trans women’s well-known and well-settled one, but with the minimum amount of ressentiment; who can hold his own against transfeminine parochialsm and not cave to cheap attacks, but also not make them, and not become parochial himself. I think that ‘tme’ is at its most valuable as an organizational principle when only someone like Androfem can “definitively” articulate it. It has to be a space for tracking the escape from my own desiring-situation on my own terms, in my own style, by my own design; bathed in my own light... But to be capable of accomplishing this it needs to become a break with all previous discourses. One that is open, flexible, and forward-looking; a dangerous gambit which is definitive and unprecedented...

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her-culture · 4 years

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2021 and the Rise of Shopping BIPOC, LGBTQI+, Small, and Womxn-Owned

Now more than ever, a collective way of life has been prioritized: shopping from small businesses, particularly those owned by the marginalized. The reason? A mix of a few things, like that of the coronavirus pandemic putting small businesses in every industry in an increasingly vulnerable spot, the rising importance of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the collective awareness of how capitalism has contributed to the downfall of so many communities.

When the pandemic hit, a lot of folks were down on their luck financially. They needed whatever avenue of income they could find to help keep them on their feet, which resulted in them opening small businesses selling their art, jewelry, and more. Shopping small and dining locally was also one of the main efforts done by the collective to ensure community staples wouldn’t have to shut down due to the lack of revenue and financial support throughout the pandemic.

During the height of BLM last summer, one of the ways that folks rallied together to give aid and support to different mutual aid funds, bail funds, and BLM funds was by selling homemade items and giving 100% of the proceeds to these different organizations. With this, there have been threads on Twitter and infographics on Instagram sharing different black-owned small businesses so that folks could directly support the black community.

It’s interesting to see how the rise of social media networks helped pave the way for this, too. Instagram and Facebook both have sections where anyone can sell their products - Facebook marketplace has everything from new and used cars, clothing, furniture, jewelry, and so much more. Instagram (though widely criticised) has updated their formatting so that anyone who uses their platform to sell items gets boosted in ads, and their shopping section is easier to find. Instagram is most accessible for businesses because they don’t charge a service fee like other sites (Etsy, Shopify, etc.) - 100% of the profits goes right back to the shop owner.

Social media sites like TikTok and Twitter have assisted this wave as well. “It costs $0 to retweet my art/business” tweets go viral almost daily, and TikTok itself is filled with trends small businesses love to use to help boost their brand on the algorithm. More recently, brands of all kinds started doing “pack an order with me” TikToks to add a more personalized feel to their business, where consumers get excited to see if their order is one of the ones that gets packaged on the ForYouPage.

Shopping small and from the folks who could use the support most is an incredible way of how community works. It directly supports the dreams and efforts of the folks who put their all into what they make. If it is possible for you, I encourage you to try to shop small and from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and more), and womxn-owned spots instead of larger corporations. Aiding in the journeys of the folks who took a chance on themselves and started their small business could change everything for them - every dollar could unlock a world of chance.

For those who are interested, here’s a list of a few small businesses (organized by business type) that you can check out and support!

Lifestyle:

Nguyen Coffee Supply - This Vietnamese coffee company was founded by Sahra Nguyen, a first-generation Vietnamese-American who set out to teach about the true quality and production of coffee beans in Vietnam. Partnering with a fourth-generation farmer in Central Valley back in Vietnam, they provide ethically sourced coffee beans to folks worldwide. To purchase Nguyen Coffee or learn more about their efforts, you can shop at https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/ and visit their social media sites @nguyencoffeesupply.

Hungry Bunny - A black, womxn-owned business, this virtual donut shop started in March 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic by Khloe Hines. All products are vegan and cruelty free, not using any dairy, eggs, or yeast! To place orders visit their website https://www.hungrybunnyict.com/ and support their social media @hungrybunny.

Hood Herbalism - A center for learning, this community herbal education project is perfect for BIPOC folks wanting to learn about the benefits of herbalism and how to incorporate it into their lives. Courses range from the basics of herbalism to herbal medicine works for birth support. They offer online courses with payment plans, accommodations, and scholarship funds to support those in need! This project space is intended for BIPOC folks, as herbal schools are predominantly white. To donate to their project or enroll in classes, visit https://hoodherbalism.com/ and follow their social media at @hoodherbalism.

Indigescuela - This BIPOC-led space is dedicated to teaching womxn and folks about intentional healing through the avenues of holistic sexual health, womb health, and traditional healing. Using the knowledge and practices of herbalism, Mexican folk healing, and Mesoamerican medicine, Panquetzani (also the foundress of Indigemama: Ancestral Healing) leads students to finding the healing answers they need to lead as their best selves. The courses range in topics from lifelong self-womb care and womb wellness. To enroll in the online distance courses, head to https://indigescuela.com/ and support their social media at @indigescuela.

Bookstores:

Nā Mea Hawai’i - Meaning all things to do with Hawai’i, Native Books is a space created to share Hawaiian culture through education. If you are based in Hawai’i, or have the opportunity to visit post-pandemic, this is definitely a place to stop by! They support local artisans of all kinds in efforts to uplift their community and all that the Islands have to offer. They have dedicated their space to sharing this knowledge, education, and experiences to all who stop by, virtually and in-person. Shop their website https://www.nativebookshawaii.org/ and follow them @na_mea_hawaii.

Raven Reads - This bookstore is indigenous and womxn-owned, which began as an effort to share history and inspire folks as a result of what residential schools did to the indegnous communities in Canada, where languages and ways of life were washed away over the years. They offer collection boxes for children and adults, where each season a curated box will be sent to you filled with Indegenous works. To shop, support, and learn more, their website is https://ravenreads.org/ and their social media is @raven_reads.

Strong Nations - The online retailer is centered around idigenous literature and art, where their products range from children’s toys to classroom materials and, of course, literature. They are also a publishing house, offering a range of services for those interested. They also offer a wide variety of bundles in different categories! Each item on their shop has a badge on it to signify if it is indegnous art, a Canadian product, or indegnous text. If you are looking for indenous literature or works of different kinds, materials for your classroom, and more, stop by https://www.strongnations.com/ or @strong_nations.

Marcus Books - The first black-owned bookstore in the nation, Marcus Books is filled with history and the desire to educate and make space for black folks and all allies. Their goals of using literature to educate and unite communities has served folks in and around the San Francisco Bay Area (based in Oakland, CA) and nationwide through their online store. They have books for all ages in every genre by an array of black and latinx authors. To support, their website is https://bookshop.org/shop/marcusbooks or visit their social media @marcus.books.

Loving Me Books - A black and womxn-owned shop, Angela Nesbitt created this online bookstore to promote self-love amongst children of all races and backgrounds. Books are available for all age ranges and in a variety of languages! They also sell children’s clothing and accessories. There is a section for adult books, as well! Check out https://www.lovingmebooks.com/ and @lovemebooks for your next book.

Skincare:

Alma Bella - Meaning “beautiful soul” in Spanish, this womxn-owned skincare business is the epitome of self care with a cause. Creator Hannah Bahls, based in Washington state, handmakes this heavenly coco cream and redistributes 100% of the net profit to different BIPOC-led social justice funds. With more products coming soon, they prioritize organic, ethically sourced and traded, and natural ingredients. Each month, she chooses a new organization to give the proceeds to. To learn more about Alma Bella, their product and mission, head over to https://alma-bella.square.site/ or their Instagram @almabellanourish to learn more about how they emphasize self and community care.

HanaHana Beauty - Sustainable, clean beauty that uplifts womxn of color. All products are made with natural ingredients and oils, like fair-trade shea butter. They source their shea butter from the Katariga Women’s Shea Cooperative in Ghana. The black and womxn-owned shop includes body butters, bars, lip balms, and exfoliating cleansers. To buy, head to their site https://hanahanabeauty.com/ and follow at @hanahana_beauty.

BrownSugga Beauty - Black owned, vegan beauty for all skin types. Offering a variety of products from sugar scrubs to oil serums, body butters and soap bars, the New Orleans based online business is your one-stop-shop for healing and maintaining beautiful, healthy skin. Shop now at https://brownsuggabeautycompany.com/ and follow them at @brownsuggabeauty_.

Haípažaža pĥežúta - Meaning “medicine soap” in Lakota, this indegnous-owned skin care from Lakota folks sells soaps and herbal products nationwide. They utilize organic ingredients harvested from the homelands as well as fair-trade ingredients from across the world to create healthy, intentional products. The products range from soaps, shampoos, rubs, perfumes, bath bombs, scrubs, and more. (They even offer refills of some of these products)! To purchase, find them at https://www.haipazazaphezuta.com/ and @haipazaza.

Beauty:

Live Tinted - Founded by Deepica Mutlaya, Live Tinted is a brand dedicated to inclusion and diversity within the beauty industry. They use their platform to highlight multicultural beauty - giving space to voices and stories of those often underrepresented in the industry. Their products range from ethically sourced merchandise, huesticks, and gorgeous illuminators. Take a peek for yourself at https://www.livetinted.com/ and @livetinted on their different social media platforms.

Sahi Cosmetics - This small, family-owned cosmetics company has been taking the beauty industry by storm. Founder Shelly Sahi started Sahi cosmetics as a way to change the beauty standards we have become accustomed to after growing up feeling like her Indian skin wasn’t beautiful enough and always had trouble finding products that matched her complexion. Committed to their clean beauty promise, all of their products are cruelty and paraben free, with vegan friendly ingredients. An array of makeup and innovative products and ideas that will surely leave you obsessed! They also offer some clothing merchandise as well. Check them out at select retailers, their website https://sahicosmetics.com/ and their social media @sahicosmetics.

Queltzin Cosmetics - An indegenous-owned beauty brand specializing in fake lashes, all of their products are named after Aztec gods and goddesses as well as Nahuatl words to honor and educate folks about their indegenous heritage. Aside from lashes and lash tools, they offer some apparel and makeup accessories and tools, as well. Shop at https://queltzincosmetics.com/ and visit them at @queltzincosmetics.

Sweet Street Cosmetics - A Latina/womxn-owned cosmetics company that honors the around-the-way aesthetic. This brand was built by Natalia Durazo and LaLa Romero, who also co-founded the clothing company Bella Doña. their brand honors the beauty strides made by womxn of color and celebrates all the uniqueness and individuality that comes with it. Their products include a highly praised liquid liner, lip duos, eyeshadows, and lashes. Shop now at https://www.sweetstreetcosmetics.com/ and follow them @sweetstreetcosmetics.

Clothing:

Wasi Clothing - A Quechuan word meaning “hope,” Wasi is a brown-owned Bolivian-American clothing company founded and run completely by Vanessa Acosta. This business is dedicated to ethical and sustainable products and processes, as well as diverse representation in the fashion world. Their products are unique and there truly is something for everyone here, as their shop includes everything from clothing to accessories to accessories and prints! You can shop their website at https://wasiclothing.com/ and follow at @wasiclothing.

OXDX Clothing - Diné owned label, this indegnous brand offers merchandise to represent Native peoples and honor their experiences. Their mission includes preserving culture to art, clothing, creative content and storytelling. Their shop has unique pieces of clothing, art, and stickers. Shop at https://www.oxdxclothing.com/ and support them at @oxdxclothing.

Ginew - That Native-owned denim line honors the founders’ Ojibwe, Oneida, & Mohican heritage through the materials and concepts utilized to create their products. Their shop ranges from denim products (jackets, jeans, etc.) as well as unique jewelry, bandanas, and more. Shop all things Ginew on their website https://ginewusa.com/ and follow at @ginew_usa.

Art:

Hafandhaf - This Pakistani-born and Detroit raised artist uses her South Asian and Muslim roots to create art that reflexts her experinces and the life around her. She uses her background studying the Quran and Arabic and incorporates it into her work. She offers commissions, as well as prints. Many of her pieces were turned into other merchandise, like clothing, mugs, stickers, and accessories. To shop, visit https://hafandhaf.com/ and follow their social media @hafandhaf.

Adinas Doodles - Kichwa artist Adina Farinango creates Kichwa diasporic art. In hopes to heal and reclaim her Kichwa roots and her identity as an idigenous womxn, her art is a form of resistance. Her one of a kind art is available in prints, stickers, and on totes! Shop https://www.adinafarinango.com/ and follow @adinasdoodles.

Accessories:

BRWNGRLZ - The Pinay-owned jewelry company specializes in laser cut pieces that represent and honor Pilipinx heritage and brown pride. These unique, astounding pieces are only found at BRWNGRLZ. This space honors the stories of Pilpinx-identify folks while uplifting the voices of BIPOC folks everywhere. To support and shop, visit www.brwngrlz.com/ and follow at @brwngrlz.

Customized by Angelisa - Polynesian-owned customizable shop that does everything from trays to accessories! This shop is perfect for customized gifts and pieces for your space! Angelisa’s shop has rolling and coffee trays, resin jewelry, keychains, tumblers, and music player plaques. To shop and customize your own pieces, head to https://www.etsy.com/shop/customizedbyangelisa/ and @cbangelisa.

Spirituality:

Stari Agency - Run by Yakari Gabriel, Stari Agency is an Afro-Latina business regarding all things astrology. Yakari offers birth chart readings, transit readings, and follow ups. She aims to help you heal and learn more about you as you navigate your life’s journey. To book and learn more about these services, you can visit https://stariagency.com/ and @stariagency.

The Woke Mystix - Podcasters and authors Ellen and Imani create space for folks to find themselves in astrology, spirituality, and divinity. This WOC-owned business co-wrote Astrology SOS: An astrological survival guide to life, which releases on March 2, 2021. To listen to their podcast and learn more about their work, check out https://www.thewokemystix.com/ and @thewokemystix.

Dian Tala Crystals - This Filipinx-womxn owned crystal shop was created in hopes of offering affordable and accessible means of crystals and their healing properties. In efforts to offer exploration into intuition and personal guidance, this shop holds a variety uniquely cut crystals while teaching followers the properties of each. All funds go directly to the owner’s tuition, as well as direct relief funds to their family’s provinces when the recent typhoon hit the Philippines. To shop and support, follow their Instagram shops @diantalacrystals and @diantalasales.

Farial Eliza (she/her) is a twenty-one year old Bay Area native, occupying unceded Chochenyo Ohlone land. She is a writer, poet, creator, storyteller, self-proclaimed healer and educator to the communities she serves.

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blackkudos · 4 years

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M. C. Hammer

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. Remembered for his rapid rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records (such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"), flashy dance movements, choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.

A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop-rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. BET ranked Hammer as the No. 7 "Best Dancer Of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round.

Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M.C. Hammer and Friends. Additionally, he starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991, and was executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime, which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. Hammer was also a television show host and dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was co-creator of a dance website called DanceJam.com, and is a record label CEO while still performing concerts at music venues and assisting with other social media, ministry and outreach functions. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records by 1995.

Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts including Ho Frat Hoo!, Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, and Gentry Kozia. A part of additional record labels, he has associated, collaborated and recorded with Psy, VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, The Whole 9, The Hines Brother, Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson.

Early life and education

Stanley Kirk Burrell was born on March 30, 1962 in Oakland, California. His father was a professional poker player and gambling casino manager (at Oaks Card Club's cardroom), as well as warehouse supervisor. He grew up poor with his mother (a secretary) and eight siblings in a small apartment in East Oakland. He recalled that six children were crammed into a three-bedroom housing project apartment. The Burrells would also frequent thoroughbred horse races, eventually becoming owners and winners of several graded stakes.

In the Oakland Coliseum parking lot the young Burrell would sell stray baseballs and dance accompanied by a beatboxer. Oakland A's team owner Charles O. Finley saw the 11-year-old doing splits and hired him as a clubhouse assistant and batboy as a result of his energy and flair. Burrell served as a "batboy" with the team from 1973 to 1980. In 2010, Hammer discussed his lifelong involvement with athletes on ESPN's First Take as well as explained that his brother Louis Burrell Jr. (who would later become Hammer's business manager) was actually the batboy while his job was to take calls and do "play-by-plays" for the A's absentee owner during every summer game. The colorful Finley, who lived in Chicago, used the child as his "eyes and ears." Reggie Jackson, in describing Burrell's role for Finley, took credit for his nickname:

Hell, our chief executive, the guy that ran our team, uh, that communicated [with] Charlie Finley, the top man there, was a 13-year old kid. I nicknamed him "Hammer," because he looked like Hank Aaron [whose nickname was "The Hammer"].

Team players, including Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Pedro Garcia, also dubbed Burrell "Little Hammer" due to his resemblance to Aaron. Ron Bergman, at the time an Oakland Tribune writer who covered the A's, recalled that:

He was an informant in the clubhouse, an informant for Charlie, and he got the nickname "Pipeline."

According to Hammer:

Charlie said, "I'm getting you a new hat. I don't want you to have a hat that says "A's" on it. I'm getting you a hat that says 'Ex VP,' that says 'Executive Vice President.' You're running the joint around here." ... Every time I come down to the clubhouse, you know, Rollie would yell out "Oh, everybody be quiet! Here comes Pipeline!"

He acquired the nickname "M.C." for being a "Master of Ceremonies" which he used when he began performing at various clubs while on the road with the A's, and eventually in the military. Hammer, who played second base in high school, dreamed of being a professional baseball player but did not make the final cut at a San Francisco Giants tryout. However, he has been a participant/player in the annual Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game wearing an A's cap to represent Oakland (American League).

Burrell went on to graduate from McClymonds High School in Oakland and took undergraduate classes in communications. Discouraged by his studies at a local college and failing to win a place in a professional baseball organization. He joined the United States Navy for three years, serving with PATRON (Patrol Squadron) FOUR SEVEN (VP-47) of NAS Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA as a Petty Officer Third Class Aviation Store Keeper (AK3) until his honorable discharge.

Music and entertainment career

Before Hammer's successful music career (with his mainstream popularity lasting approximately between 1988 and 1998) and his "rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga", Burrell formed a Christian rap music group with CCM's Jon Gibson (or "J.G.") called Holy Ghost Boys. Some songs produced were called "Word" and "B-Boy Chill". "The Wall", featuring Burrell (it was originally within the lyrics of this song he first identified himself as K.B. and then eventually M.C. Hammer once it was produced), was later released on Gibson's album Change of Heart (1988). This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album. "Son of the King" showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power (1987), as well as the re-released version Let's Get It Started (1988).

With exception to later remixes of early releases, Hammer produced and recorded many rap songs that were never made public, yet are now available on the Internet. Via his record labels such as Bust It Records, Oaktown Records and Full Blast, Hammer has introduced, signed and produced new talent including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Ho Frat Hoo!, the vocal quintet Special Generation, Analise, James Greer, One Cause One Effect, B Angie B, The Stooge Playaz, DASIT (as seen on ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show), Teabag, Common Unity, Geeman and Pleasure Ellis; both collaborating with him and producing music of their own during his career.

At about the age of 12, Oakland native Keyshia Cole recorded with Hammer and sought career advice from him.

Feel My Power (1986)

In the mid-1980s while rapping in small venues and after a record deal went sour, Hammer borrowed US$20,000 each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy to start a record label business called Bust It Productions. He kept the company going by selling records from his basement and car. Bust It spawned Bustin' Records, the independent label of which Hammer was CEO. Together, the companies had more than 100 employees. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. Coupled with his dance abilities, Hammer's style was unique at the time.

Now billing himself as "M.C. Hammer", he recorded his debut album, Feel My Power, which was produced between 1986 and 1987 and released independently in 1987 on his Oaktown Records label (Bustin'). It was produced by Felton Pilate (of Con Funk Shun). It sold over 60,000 copies and was distributed by City Hall Records. In the spring of 1988, Tony Valera, a 107.7 KSOL Radio DJ, played the track "Let's Get It Started" in his mix-shows—a song in which Hammer declared he was "second to none, from Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, or DJ Run"—after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. (He would continue to call out other East Coast rappers in future projects as well.)

Hammer also released a single called "Ring 'Em", and largely on the strength of tireless street marketing by Hammer and his wife, plus continued radio mix-show play, it achieved considerable popularity at dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Heartened by his rising prospects, Hammer launched into seven-day-a-week rehearsals with the growing troupe of dancers, musicians, and backup vocalists he had hired. It was Hammer's stage show, and his infectious stage presence, that led to his big break in 1988 while performing in an Oakland club. There he impressed a record executive who "didn't know who he was, but knew he was somebody", according to the New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll.

M.C.Hammer had received several offers from major record labels before (which he initially declined due to his personal success), but after the successful release of this independent album and elaborate live dance show amazed the Capitol Records executive, Hammer agreed to sign a record deal soon after. Hammer took home a US$1,750,000 advance and a multi-album contract. It didn't take long for Capitol to recoup its investment.

Let's Get It Started (1988)

Once signed to Capitol Records, Hammer re-issued his first record (a revised version of Feel My Power) with additional tracks added and sold over 2 million copies. "Pump It Up" (also performed during Showtime at the Apollo on September 16, 1989), "Turn This Mutha Out", "Let's Get It Started" and "They Put Me in the Mix" were the most popular singles from this album, all of which charted. Not entirely satisfied with this first multi-platinum success, Hammer's music underwent a metamorphosis, shifting from the standard rap format in his upcoming album. "I decided the next album would be more musical," he says. Purists chastised him for being more dancer than rapper. Sitting in a leopard-print bodysuit before a concert, he defended his style: "People were ready for something different from the traditional rap style. The fact that the record has reached this level indicates the genre is growing."

M.C. Hammer was very good friends with Arsenio Hall (as well as a then-unknown teen named Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, despite later rumors that there was a "beef" between the two rappers which was addressed during the height of both their careers on Hall's show, and who he would later reunite with in a 2009 concert in Salt Lake City, Utah), and as such, Hammer was first invited to perform the song "U Can't Touch This", prior to its release, on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989. He also performed "Dancing Machine" in a version that appeared in the same-titled movie.

Hammer used some of the proceeds from this album to install a rolling recording studio in the back of his tour bus, where he recorded much of his second album.

In 1989, Hammer was featured on "You've Got Me Dancing" (with Glen Goldsmith), which appeared on the Glen Goldsmith album Don't Turn This Groove Around (RCA Records). The track was Hammer's first release in the UK. Hammer also appeared in Glen Goldsmith's music video for this song. The single failed to chart.

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

Notorious for dissing rappers in his previous recordings, Hammer appropriately titled his third album (and second major-label release) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, which was released February 12, 1990 (with an original release date of January 1, 1990). It included the successful single "U Can't Touch This" (which sampled Rick James' "Super Freak"). It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on a modified tour bus while on tour in 1989. Despite heavy airplay and a No. 27 chart debut, "U Can't Touch This" stopped at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was released only as a twelve-inch single. However, the album was a No. 1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single, the first time ever for a recording on the pop charts. The song has been and continues to be used in many filmmaking and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack/compilation albums as well.

Follow-up successes included a cover of the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her" and "Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Faith No More's "We Care a Lot"), which was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at No. 2. "Pray" was also a major UK success, peaking at No. 8. The album went on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units to date. During 1990, Hammer toured extensively in Europe which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo International, Pepsi CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991.

The album was notable for sampling other high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "Dancin' Machine" sampled The Jackson 5, "Help the Children" (also the name of an outreach foundation Hammer started) interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's "Soft and Wet". All of these songs proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This," "Pray" (most successful), "Have You Seen Her," "Here Comes the Hammer," and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album increased the popularity of hip-hop music. It remains the genre's all-time best-selling album.

A movie also accompanied the album and was produced in 1990, called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (with portions of his music videos included within the movie). At the same time, he also appeared in The West Coast Rap All-Stars posse cut "We're All in the Same Gang." Music videos from this album and the previous albums began to receive much airplay on MTV and VH1.

M.C. Hammer also contributed a track, "This is What We Do", on the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie soundtrack on SBK Records.

A critical backlash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on sampling others' entire hooks for the basis of his singles—criticisms also directed to his contemporary, Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass (including a rap battle with MC Serch), The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground criticized him in the CD insert of their Sex Packets album by placing Hammer's picture in it and referring to him as an unknown derelict. Q Tip criticized him in "Check the Rhyme," asking, "What you say Hammer? Proper. Rap is not pop, if you call it that then stop." LL Cool J dissed him in "To tha Break of Dawn" (from the Mama Said Knock You Out album), calling Hammer an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag [his pants]," and saying, "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap.", though this could have been seen as a response to Hammer calling him out in "Let's Get it Started", when he was mentioned along with Run-DMC and Doug E. Fresh as rappers that Hammer claimed to be better than. (LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on VH-1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008). However, Ice-T came to his defense on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster: "A special shout out to my man M.C. Hammer: a lot of people dis you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop-rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against emcees who switch from being hardcore or dirty to being pop-rap so that they can sell more records.

Despite the criticisms, Hammer's career continued to be highly successful including tours in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Russia. Soon after, M.C. Hammer Mattel dolls, lunchboxes, and other merchandise were marketed. He was also given his own Saturday morning cartoon, called Hammerman, which he hosted and voiced.

Too Legit to Quit (1991)

After publicly dropping the "M.C." from his stage name, Hammer released Too Legit to Quit (also produced by Felton Pilate) in 1991. Hammer answered his critics within certain songs from the album. Sales were strong (over five million copies), with the title track being the biggest hit single from this record. The album peaked in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200. Another hit came soon after, with "Addams Groove" (which appeared on both The Addams Family motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl and cassette versions of 2 Legit 2 Quit), reaching No. 7 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the UK. His video for the song appeared after the movie.

Hammer set out on a tour for this album, with a stage show which had become as grandiose and lavish as his lifestyle ⁠— ⁠loaded with singers, dancers, and backup musicians, the supporting concert tour was too expensive for the album's sales to finance, and it was canceled partway through. In 1992, Boyz II Men joined Hammer's high-profile 2 Legit 2 Quit tour as an opening act. While traveling the country, their tour manager Khalil Roundtree was murdered in Chicago, and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song would help advance their success.

Music videos were produced for all four singles released from this album (including "Do Not Pass Me By" and "This Is The Way We Roll"), all which charted.The "2 Legit 2 Quit" video featured many celebrity appearances. It's been ranked as one of the most expensive videos ever made. The hand motions used within the song and video also became very popular. The song proved to be successful in the U.S., peaking in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, at #5. Despite the album's multi-platinum certification, the sales were one-third of Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.

At the end of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video, after James Brown enlists Hammer to get the famous glove of Michael Jackson, a silver-white sequined glove is shown on the hand of a Michael Jackson look-alike doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. In a related story, M.C. Hammer appeared on The Wendy Williams Show (July 27, 2009) and talked about his hit reality show Hammertime on A&E, his marriage, his role as a dad and the reasons he eventually went bankrupt. He told an amusing story about a phone call he received from "M.J.", regarding the portion of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video that included a fake Michael Jackson, giving his approval and inclusion of it. He explained how Michael had seen the video and liked it, and both expressed they were fans of one another. Hammer and Jackson would later appear, speak and/or perform at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006.

The artwork featured in the album was created by James B. Young and accompanying studios.

During 1991, Hammer was featured on the single "The Blood" from the BeBe & CeCe Winans album, Different Lifestyles. In 1992, the song peaked at No. 8 on the Christian charts.

New venture with Oaktown/Giant Records (1992–1993)

In 1992, after a four-year hiatus, Doug E. Fresh signed with Hammer's label, Bust It Records and issued one album, Doin' What I Gotta Do, which (despite some minor acclaim for his single "Bustin' Out (On Funk)" which sampled the Rick James 1979 single "Bustin' Out") was a commercial failure.

Prior to Hammer's next album, The Funky Headhunter, rumors from critics and fans began claiming Hammer had quit the music/entertainment business or had suffered a financial downfall (since a couple of years were passing between his two records), which Hammer denied. Hammer claimed rumors falsely heralded his downfall were most likely a result of the fact he turned over his "trimmed-down" Bust It Records to his brother and manager Louis Burrell Jr., and his horse racing interests to his brother Chris and their father, Louis Burrell Sr.

During his hiatus between albums, Hammer consequently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with a new record company. He said there were a lot of bidders, but "not too many of them could afford Hammer". Therefore, Hammer parted ways with Felton Pilate (who had previously worked with the successful vocal group Con Funk Shun) and switched record labels to Giant Records, taking his Oaktown label with him. Hammer was eventually sued by Pilate. Additionally, Hammer launched a new enterprise, called Roll Wit It Entertainment & Sports Management, with clients such as Evander Holyfield, Deion Sanders and Reggie Brooks. In 1993, his production company released a hit rap song by DRS.

By this time, he also parted ways with his only female executive, music business administration consultant and songwriter, Linda Lou McCall (who previously worked with The Delfonics and her husband Louis A. McCall, Sr.'s band Con Funk Shun). She went on to work with artists such as Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., Mýa, Black Eyed Peas and Eminem. A music industry vet who attended Howard University's College of Fine Arts and the University of California-Davis School of Law, McCall was hired by Hammer's brother and manager, Louis K. Burrell, in 1990 to help set up his corporate operations and administration at Bust It Management and Productions Inc. in Oakland, California. She later became Vice President of Hammer's talent management company, overseeing artists like Heavy D, B Angie B and Ralph Tresvant. While at Bust It, she and her husband Louis A. McCall, Sr. brought their artist Keith Martin to Felton's attention who hired him as a backup musician and vocalist for Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit world tours. In 1993 and 1994, Linda Lou was also involved in several lawsuits against Hammer which were eventually settled out of court.

With a new home and daughter, a new record soon to be released, and his new business, Hammer claimed he was happy and far from being broke during a tour of his mansion for Ebony. "Today there is a more aggressive Hammer, because the '90s require you to be more aggressive", Hammer said of his music style. "There is a harder edge, but I'm no gang member. Hammer in the '90s is on the offense, on the move, on the attack. And it's all good".

The Funky Headhunter and Prime Time (1994)

In 1993, Hammer began recording his fifth official album. To adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop, this album was a more aggressive sounding album entitled The Funky Headhunter. He co-produced this record with funky rapper and producer, Stefan Adamek. While Hammer's appearance changed to keep up with the gangsta rap audience, his lyrics still remained honest and somewhat clean with minor profanity. Yet, as with previous records, Hammer would continue to call out and disrespect other rappers on this album. As with some earlier songs such as "Crime Story" (from the album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em), the content and reality about "street life" remained somewhat the same, but the sound was different, resulting in Hammer losing favor with fans. Nonetheless, this harder-edged, more aggressive record went gold, but failed to win him a new audience among hardcore hip-hop fans.

In another appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show during the mid-1990s, Hammer debuted the video for "Pumps and a Bump". Talk show host Arsenio Hall said to M.C. Hammer, "Women in the audience want to know, what's in your speedos in the 'Pumps and a Bump' video?" A clip from the video was then shown, to much approval from the audience. Hammer didn't give a direct answer, but instead laughed. Arsenio then said, "I guess that's why they call you 'Hammer.' It ain't got nothin' to do with Hank Aaron."

The accompanying video to the album's first single, "Pumps and a Bump", was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in Speedos (and with what appeared to be an erection) was too graphic. This led to an alternative video being filmed (with Hammer fully clothed) that was directed by Bay Area native Craig S. Brooks.

"It's All Good" was the second single released, which would become a pop culture phrase as a result of its success. It was also the most successful song by this title.Within this album, Hammer disses rappers such as A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip), Redman and Run DMC for previous attacks they made against him on wax. This quite possibly led to a decrease in his popularity after this record responded to his critics.

On December 20, 1994, Deion Sanders released Prime Time, a rap album on Hammer's Bust It Records label which featured the minor hit "Must Be The Money". "Prime Time Keeps on Tickin'" was also released as a single. Sanders, a friend of Hammer's, had previously appeared in his "Too Legit to Quit" music video, and his alter-ego "Prime Time" is also used in Hammer's "Pumps and a Bump" video.

The song "Help Lord (Won't You Come)" appeared in Kingdom Come.This album peaked at number two on the R&B charts and remained in the Top 30 midway through the year. To date, it has managed to become certified platinum.

Inside Out, Death Row Records and Too Tight (1995–1996)

In 1995, Hammer released the album Inside Out V (or inside out V). The album sold poorly compared to previous records (peaking at 119 on the Billboard Charts) and Giant Records dropped him and Oaktown Records from their roster. Songs "Going Up Yonder" and "Sultry Funk" managed to get moderate radio play (even charting on national radio station countdowns).

Along with a fickle public, Hammer would go on to explain in this album that he felt many of his so-called friends he helped staff, used and betrayed him which contributed to a majority of his financial loss (best explained in the song "Keep On" and the bio from this album). He would also hint about this again in interviews, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009.

In 1995, Hammer released "Straight to My Feet" (with Deion Sanders) from the Street Fighter soundtrack (released in December 1994). The song charted No. 57 in the UK.

Hammer's relationship with Suge Knight dates back to 1988. Hammer signed with Death Row Records by 1995, then home to Snoop Dogg and his close friend, Tupac Shakur. The label did not release the album of Hammer's music (titled Too Tight) while he had a career with them, although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album. However, Burrell did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa" (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy). After the death of Shakur in 1996, Burrell left the record company. He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death.

Return to EMI and Family Affair (1996–1998)

In October 1996, Burrell and Oaktown signed with EMI, which saw the release of a compilation album of Hammer's chart topping songs prior to The Funky Headhunter. The album, titled Greatest Hits, featured 12 former hits. In 1998, another "greatest hits" album, called Back 2 Back Hits, was produced and released by CEMA. (Another compilation version of Back 2 Back was later released by Capitol Records in 2006.) As Hammer's empire began to collapse when his last album failed to match the sales of its predecessors, and since he unsuccessfully attempted to recast himself in the "streetwise/hardcore rap" mold of the day, Hammer turned to a gospel-friendly audience.

In 1998, MC Hammer released his first album in his new deal with EMI, titled Family Affair, because it was to introduce the world to the artists he had signed to his Oaktown Records (Geeman, Teabag, and Common Unity) as they made their recording debut. Technically his seventh album since his debut EP, this record was highly promoted on Trinity Broadcasting Network (performing a more gospel version of "Keep On" from his album Inside Out V), yet featured no charting singles and selling about 1,000 copies worldwide.

The album also features a song written for Hammer by 2Pac called "Unconditional Love". Hammer would later dance and read the lyrics to this song on the first VH1 Hip Hop Honors in 2004.

A double album mostly about faith and family values, additional tracks from Family Affair are: "Put It Down", "Put Some Stop in Your Game", "Big Man", "Set Me Free", "Our God", "Responsible Father Shout", "He Brought Me Out", (Geeman Intro), "Eye's Like Mine", "Never Without You", "Praise Dance Theme Song", "Shame of the Name", (Smoothout Intro), (Teabag Intro), "Silly Heart", "I Wish U Were Free", (Common Unity Intro), "Someone to Hold to You", "Pray" (1998), "Let's Get It Started" (1998), and with "Hammer Music/Shouts/Tour Info" announcements between songs. The compact disks are also "PC Ready" with interactive features.

After this album, new projects were rumored to be in the works, including an album (War Chest: Turn of the Century) and a soundtrack to the film Return to Glory: The Powerful Stirring of the Black Man, but neither appeared.

The Hits and Active Duty (2000–2001)

In 2000, another compilation album was released, titled The Hits. It contains 17 tracks from his first four albums.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, M.C. Hammer released his 8th studio album, Active Duty, on his own World Hit Music Group label (the musical enterprise under his Hammertime Holdings Inc. umbrella) to pay homage to the ones lost in the terrorist attacks. The album followed that theme, and featured two singles (with accompanying videos), "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" and "Pop Yo Collar" (featuring Wee Wee) which demonstrates "The Phat Daddy Pop", "In Pop Nito", "River Pop", "Deliver The Pop" and "Pop'n It Up" dance moves. The album, like its predecessor, failed to chart and would not sell as many copies as previous projects. Hammer did however promote it on such shows as The View and produced a video for both singles.

This patriotic album, originally planned to be titled The Autobiography Of M.C. Hammer, donated portions of the proceeds to 9/11 charities. Hammer shot a video for the anthem "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" in Washington, D.C., with several members of the United States Congress, who sang in the song and danced in the video. Present members of the United States House of Representatives included J. C. Watts, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Thomas M. Davis, Earl Hilliard, Alcee Hastings, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Full Blast (2004)

After leaving Capitol Records and EMI for the second time in his career, M.C. Hammer decided to move his Oaktown imprint to an independent distributor and released his ninth studio album, Full Blast (which was completed in late 2003 and released as a complete album in early 2004). The album would feature no charting singles and was not certified by the RIAA. A video was produced for "Full Blast", a song that attacks Eminem and Busta Rhymes for previous disrespect towards him.

Some of the original songs didn't end up making the final album release. Guest artists included The Stooge Playaz, Pleasure, Rain, JD Greer and DasIt.

Look Look Look and Platinum MC Hammer (2006–2008)

After going independent, Hammer decided to create a digital label to release his tenth studio album, Look Look Look. The album was released in February 2006 and featured production from Scott Storch. The album featured the title-track single (Look Look Look) and a music video. It would sell much better than his previous release (300,000 copies worldwide).

"YAY" was produced by Lil Jon. "What Happened to Our Hood?" (featuring Sam Logan) was originally from Active Duty. "I Got It From The Town" was used in the movie but is only present in one scene instead of the originally planned two on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (soundtrack).

Between 2006 and 2007, Hammer released a military-inspired rap song with a political message to President George W. Bush about sending American troops back home from war, called "Bring Our Brothers Home". The video was filmed at the Santa Monica Pier.

In 2008, Platinum MC Hammer was released by EMI Records. The compilation consists of 12 tracks from Hammer's previous albums, with a similar playlist as former "greatest hits" records (with the exception of including a remix of "Hammer Hammer, They Put Me In A Mix" which includes rap lyrics that "They Put Me In A Mix" originally did not). An import was released by Capitol Records.

DanceJamtheMusic (2008–2009)

Since his 2006 album, Hammer continued to produce music and released several other raps that appeared on his social websites (such as Myspace and Dancejam.com) or in commercials, with another album announced to be launched in late 2008 (via his own record label Fullblast Playhouse). Talks of the tour and a new album were expected in 2009.

"Getting Back to Hetton" was made public in 2008 as a digital single. It was a departure for Hammer, bringing in funky deep soul and mixing it with a more house style. Released through licence on Whippet Digital Recordings, media reviews were said to be "disappointing". However, the song "I Got Gigs" from this album was used in a 2009 ESPN commercial and performed during Hammertime (as well as played while he danced just prior to introducing Soulja Boy during YouTube Live on November 22, 2008).

Other tracks and videos from the album included: "I Go" (produced by Lil Jon), "Keep It In Vegas", "Lookin' Out The Window", "Dem Jeans" (by DASIT), "Stooge Karma Sutra" (by The Stooge Playaz) and "Tried to Luv U" (by DASIT featuring Pleasure Ellis).

In March 2009, M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice had a one-off concert at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah. This concert aided in the promotion of Hammer's new music and television show. During the concert (as shown during an episode of Hammertime), it was mentioned between the two rappers that this was their first headline show together in nearly 20 years, since the time when they were touring together at the peak of their hip-hop careers. Hammer said: "Contrary to popular belief, Ice and I are not only cool with each other, we are like long lost friends. I've known him since he was 16, before he had a record contract and before I had a record contract. It is a great reunion." Vanilla Ice, real name Robert Van Winkle, said: "It's like no time has passed at all. We set the world on fire back in the day - it gives me goose bumps to think about. The concert wouldn't have been so packed if it wasn't us together. I'm so happy right now, the magic is here."

Most recent releases (2010–present)

Hammer has occasionally released singles over the past few years. Below are the most publicized:

"Better Run Run" (2010)

M.C. Hammer promised to release a track (expected on October 31, 2010) responding to a song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z which attacked him. On the "So Appalled" track, which features Swizz Beatz and RZA, Jay-Z raps a verse targeting Hammer about his financial dilemma in the 1990s. On it Jay says: 'Hammer went broke so you know I'm more focused / I lost 30 mil' so I spent another 30 / 'Cause unlike Hammer 30 million can't hurt me'. Hammer addressed his displeasure about the diss on Twitter, claiming he will react to Jay-Z on Halloween.

Hammer released a sample of his "beef" with Jay-Z (aka 'Hell Boy' according to Hammer) in a brief teaser trailer called "Better Run Run" by 'King Hammer'. At one point, it was uncertain if his reaction would be a film video, a music video or a combination of both. Regardless, he claimed he would show evidence that 'Jigga worships the devil'. It's possible that Jay-Z was offended by an analogy Hammer was conveying in an earlier interview in response to "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" on AllHipHop.

On November 1, Hammer's song with video called "Better Run Run!" hit the web in retaliation to Jay-Z's September 2010 diss towards him. M.C. accuses Jigga of being in league (and in the studio) with Satan—and then Hammer defeats the devil and forces Jay to be baptized. Speaking on the video, Jacob O'Gara of Ethos Magazine wrote: "What's more likely is that this feud is the last chapter in the tragic cautionary tale of M.C. Hammer, a tale that serves as a warning to all present and future kings of hip-hop. Keep your balance on the pedestal and wear the crown strong or you'll have the Devil to pay."

In an interview with BBC's DJ Semtex, Jay said he didn't mean the verses as a personal attack. "I didn't know that [Hammer's financial status] wasn't on the table for discussion!" he said. "I didn't know I was the first person ever to say that..." He continued, "When I say things, I think people believe me so much that they take it a different way — it's, like, not rap anymore at that point. I say some great things about him in the book I have coming out [Decoded] — that wasn't a cheap plug," he laughed. "He's gonna be embarrassed, I said some really great things about him and people's perception of him. But it is what it is, he took it that wrong way, and I didn't know I said anything wrong!"

"See Her Face" (2011)

On February 3, 2011, M.C. Hammer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show premiering the track "See Her Face" via Flipboard. It was the first time Flipboard included music in the application.

"Raider Nation" and "All In My Mind" (2013–2014)

Among other singles, Hammer released "Raider Nation (Oakland Raiders Anthem)" along with a video in late 2013 and "All In My Mind" (which samples "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers) in early 2014 with his newly formed group called Oakland Fight Club featuring Mistah F.A.B.

"Help the Children" (2017)

Hammer released an updated version of his 1990 charting song with a short film video in late 2017.

Additional business ventures

In 1991, M.C. Hammer established Oaktown Stable that would eventually have nineteen Thoroughbred racehorses. That year, his outstanding filly Lite Light won several Grade I stakes races including the prestigious Kentucky Oaks. His D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt Dance Floor won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and the Breeders' Futurity Stakes in 1991, then the following year won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and finished 3rd in the 1992 Kentucky Derby. He continues to attend shows as well as many sporting events alongside celebrities.

In the late 1990s into the early 2000s, along with a new clothing line called "J Slick", Hammer began creating and working on M.C. Hammer USA, an interactive online portal.

In 2002, Hammer signed a book contract with publishing company Simon & Schuster which called for a release the following year. However, a manuscript for an inspirational book called Enemies of the Father: Messages from the Heart on Being a Family Man (addressing the situation of African American men), for which Hammer received advance money to write, was never submitted in 2003. This resulted in Hammer being sued by the book company over claims that he never finished the book as promised. The company's March 2009 lawsuit sought return of the US$61,000 advance given to Hammer for the unwritten book about fatherhood.

Hammer was a popular web mogul and activist, becoming involved in several Internet projects (including TechCrunch40 conferences). In 2007, Hammer was co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based (Silicon Valley) DanceJam.com along with Geoffrey Arone. The community site (valued at $4.5 million) was exclusively dedicated to dancing video competitions, techniques and styles which Hammer sometimes judged or rated. After receiving $4.5 million in total equity funding, the site closed on January 1, 2011.

In July 2010, Hammer started a mixed martial arts management company to manage, market, promote, and brand-build for fighters such as Nate Marquardt, Tim F. Kennedy, and Vladimir Matyushenko, among others. According to MMAWeekly.com and Bizjournals, his new company is Alchemist Management in Los Angeles. It now manages 10 fighters. That same month, Hammer also announced his latest venture called Alchemist Clothing. The brand described as a colorful new lifestyle clothing line debuted during an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight in Austin. Middleweight fighter Nate "The Great" Marquardt wore an Alchemist shirt as he walked out to the ring. Hammer has shown an interest in boxing throughout his career.

On September 28, 2010, M.C. Hammer headlined at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference for an official after-hours party.

Hammer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2011 to discuss his tech-media-mogul status, as well as his creation, demonstration and consulting of social applications/sites/media (such as having an involvement with the Internet since 1994 including YouTube and Twitter), and devices such as iPad and ZAGGmate. He also explained how employing/helping so many people in the past never really caused him to be broke in terms of the average person, as the media made it seem, nor would he have changed any experiences that has led him to where he is today. During the "Whatever Happened to M.C. Hammer" episode, he discussed his current home, family and work life as well.

In October 2011, Hammer announced a new internet venture called WireDoo - a "deep search engine" that planned to compete with the major search engines including Google and Bing. With the motto, "Search once and see what's related", Hammer's team planned to eventually open up the site to a select number of beta testers. Wiredoo failed, having never left beta testing, and officially went offline in early 2012.

Television and film career

M.C. Hammer produced and starred in his own movie, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). The film is about a rapper returning to his hometown who defeats a drug lord using kids to traffic his product. For this project, Hammer earned a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video at the 33rd Grammy Awards (having been nominated for two). He later produced MC Hammer: 2 Legit (The Videos), which included many actors and athletes.

Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies such as Pepsi, KFC, Toshiba, British Knights and Taco Bell during the height of his career.

In 1991, Hammer hosted, sang/rapped and voiced a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman. That same year, he and Bust It Productions (including B Angie B, Special Generation and Ho Frat Hoo!) appeared in concert from New Orleans on BET

Hammer has made cameos and/or performed on many television shows such as Saturday Night Live (as host and musical guest), Amen and Martin. He also made a cameo in the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero. Hammer would also go on to appear as himself on The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5 (1995). Additionally, he has been involved in movies as an actor such as, One Tough Bastard (1996), Reggie's Prayer (1996), the Showtime film The Right Connections (1997), Deadly Rhapsody (2001), Finishing the Game (2007) and 1040 (2010), as well as a television and movie producer.

Despite public attacks about his financial status, after meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas in April 2001, it was Hammer (credited as a producer) who provided the much needed funding to filmmaker Justin Lin for Better Luck Tomorrow (2002). In its first ever film acquisition, MTV Films eventually acquired Better Luck Tomorrow after it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival. The director said, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us."

Hammer appeared in two cable television movies. At the age of 39, he was one of the producers for the VH1 movie Too Legit: The M.C. Hammer Story, starring Romany Malco and Tangi Miller as his wife, which aired on December 19, 2001. The film is a biopic which chronicles the rise and fall of the artist. "2 Legit To Quit: The Life Story of M.C. Hammer" became the second highest-rated original movie in the history of VH1 and broadcast simultaneously on BET. "The whole script came from me," says Hammer, "I sat down with a writer and gave him all the information."

In 2003, Hammer appeared on The WB's first season of The Surreal Life, a reality show known for assembling an eclectic mix of celebrities to live together. He was also a dance judge on the 2003 ABC Family TV series Dance Fever. Additionally, he appeared on VH1's And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004) as well as in 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s (2008), a countdown which he was also commentator on. His eldest child, A'Keiba Burrell, was a contestant on MTV's Rock the Cradle in April 2008 (which Hammer also made appearances on).

Hammer had shown an interest in having his own reality show with specific television networks at one point. Already being a part of shows for VH1 and The WB (I Married... M.C. Hammer and The Surreal Life), it was later confirmed he would appear in Hammertime on A&E Network in the summer of 2009. This reality show was about his personal, business and family life. The following year, Hammer appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly June 3, 2009 to promote his show which began June 14, 2009 at 10 PM EST.

In August 2008, a new ESPN ad featured Hammer in it, showcasing his single "I Got Gigs'" (from his DanceJamtheMusic album). The commercial was for Monday Night Football's upcoming football season. This is not the first commercial in more recent years that Hammer has been in, or his songs/raps/dancing was used for and included in such as Lay's, Hallmark Cards, Purell, Lysol, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Citibank, etc. On February 1, 2009, Hammer and Ed McMahon were featured in a Super Bowl XLIII commercial for Cash4Gold.

In addition to appearing in television commercials, M.C. Hammer's music has also been used in television shows and movies, especially "U Can't Touch This" during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Hot Shots! (1990), The Super (1991), Doogie Howser, M.D. (1992), Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Into the Wild (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), Dancing with the Stars (2009), Glee (2010) and many more. Additionally, "This Is What We Do" was a 1990 track by Hammer (featuring B Angie B) for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and soundtrack. Tracks "That's What I Said" and "Feel My Power" were used for the Rocky V film and soundtrack. Some examples of other raps by Hammer used in movies and television were "Addams Groove" (The Addams Family), "Pray" (License to Wed), "2 Legit 2 Quit" (Hot Rod), "I Got It From The Town" (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), "Help Lord, Won't You Come" (Kingdom Come), "Let's Go Deeper" (Beverly Hills, 90210) and "Straight to My Feet" (Street Fighter), among others.

Along with Betty White, Hammer was a voice actor on the September 17, 2010 episode of Glenn Martin, DDS called "Step-brother". In 2016, MC Hammer appeared as himself in an episode of Uncle Grandpa on Cartoon Network.

Hammer has most recently been a spokesman for 3M Command Strips and Starburst.

Dancer, choreographer and entertainer

M.C. Hammer's dance style not only helped pave the way for the Bay Area movement called Hyphy, but also helped to bring hip-hop and rap to the Bay Area. His dancing skills are still taught to this day. With his popular trademark Hammer Pants, one phenomenal difference from Hammer versus other performers during his heyday was that he was an entertainer, both during live shows and in music videos. His flamboyant dancing was as much a part of his performances as rapping and musical instruments were. With high-energy dance routines, he is often considered one of the greatest dancers. While adding his own techniques, Hammer adopted styles from James Brown and The Nicholas Brothers such as the splits, and feverish choreographed dance routines including leaps and slides, most notably. His creation of such dances as "Hammer Dance" (or the "Typewriter Dance"), "The Bump" (from "U Can't Touch This") and the use of "The Running Man" and the "Butterfly," among others, made his flashy and creative dance skills unlike any others at the time.

Hammer's showmanship and elaborate stage choreography, involving fifteen dancers, twelve backup singers, seven live musicians and two disc jockeys, gave him a powerful visual appeal. Hammer was the first rap artist to put together a choreographed show of this type, and his visual flair attracted heavy airplay for his videos on MTV, which at the time had a predominantly white viewership that had aired little rap music before Hammer.

During a 1990 visit from M.C. Hammer (accompanied by his friend Fab Five Freddy) on Yo! MTV Raps, one of the dancers whom Hammer was holding auditions for was a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez.

At the height of his career, Hammer had his legs insured for a substantial amount of money (into the millions), as mentioned in an interview by Maria Shriver in the early 1990s. He later suffered an injury to his knee that halted his dancing career for a period of time. Eventually, BET ranked Hammer as the 7th Best Dancer Of All Time. Some of Hammer's entourage, or "posse" as he called them, were also trained/skilled dancers (including Tiffany Patterson). They participated in videos and at concerts, yet too many dancers and band members eventually contributed to Hammer's downfall, proving to be too much for him to finance.

Hammer stayed active in the dance media/genre, both on television shows and as co-founder of DanceJam.com (which showcased dance competitions and instructional videos on all the latest dance styles) until he and his partner Geoffrey Arone sold it to Grind Networks. Well known for bringing choreography to hip-hop, many of his dancing skills can still be seen on dance-focused and social networking sites. "Dance is unlike any other social medium. It's the core of our culture", Burrell told Wired News.

In addition to his websites and other Internet appearances, Hammer has also appeared demonstrating much of his dancing abilities on talk shows such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Soul Train, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (performing O'Brien's famous "string dance" together as well), The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View and was a dance judge on Dance Fever. On June 3, 2009, he performed the "Hammer dance" on Live with Regis and Kelly with Will Ferrell as co-host.

While Hammer may have challenged and competed with Michael Jackson during the height of his career, they were friends, proven by a phone call Hammer had with Jackson about his "Too Legit to Quit" video which he shared on The Wendy Williams Show (July 2009). Hammer wanted to ensure he was not offended by the ending of the video where a purported Michael Jackson (seen only from behind) does the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture with his famous glove. They also appeared together at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006, where Hammer danced in honor of The Godfather of Soul. After Jackson's death, Hammer posted his remembrance and sympathy of the superstar on Twitter. Michael's friend and fellow pop culture icon Hammer told Spinner that, "now that the King of Pop has passed, it's the duty of his fans and loved ones to carry Jackson's creative torch." He went on to say, "Michael Jackson lit the fuse that ignited the spirit of dance in us all. He gave us a song and a sweet melody that will never die. Now we all carry his legacy with joy and pride."

Personal life

At the time of his first album, M.C. Hammer opened his own music management firm. As a result of the success of his third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, Hammer had amassed approximately US$33 million. US$12 million was used to build his Xanadu-like home in Fremont, California, 30 miles (50 km) south of where he grew up. Jet reported Hammer once employed 200 people, with an annual payroll of US$6.8 million. The estate was sold for $5.3 million after Hammer lived in it for six years.

Hammer currently resides in a large ranch-style abode situated on a two-acre corner lot in Tracy, California with his wife Stephanie of over 30 years (whom he met at a church revival meeting and married December 21, 1985). They have five children: three boys (Bobby, Jeremiah, Sammy) and two girls (Sarah, A'keiba), along with a nephew (Jamaris) and cousin (Marv) having lived with them. It was reported in July 2012, that Hammer was encouraged to marry Whitney Houston by her father at the Super Bowl in 1991.

Hammer frequently posts about his life and activities on his blog "Look Look Look", as well as other social websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter (being one of the earliest celebrities to contribute and join). A self-described "super geek" who's presently consulting for or investing in eight technology companies, Hammer claims to spend 10–12 hours daily working on his technology projects, and tweets 30-40 times a day.

Hammer was an endorser of the SAFE California Act, which if passed in November 2012, would have replaced the death penalty. However, the proposition was defeated.

Bankruptcy, lawsuits and media reaction

Contrary to public rumor, Hammer claimed he was really never "down-and-out" as reported by the media (eventually expressed on The Opie & Anthony Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009). Originally having an estimated net worth of over $33 million according to Forbes magazine, speculations about Hammer's status first emerged during delays between albums Too Legit to Quit and The Funky Headhunter, with Hammer having spent much of his money on staff and personal luxuries. In addition to excessive spending while supporting friends and family, Hammer ultimately became $13 million in debt. With dwindling album sales, unpaid loans, a large payroll, and a lavish lifestyle, Hammer eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oakland, California on April 1, 1996. The case was converted to Chapter 7 on September 23, 1998, but Hammer was denied a bankruptcy discharge on April 23, 2002.

Hammer's mansion was sold for a fraction of its former price. "My priorities were out of order," he told Ebony. He claimed, "My priorities should have always been God, family, community, and then business. Instead they had been business, business, and business." Along with Felton Pilate and other group members, Rick James sued Hammer for infringement of copyright, but the suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as co-composer, effectively cutting James in on the millions of dollars the record was earning. By the late 1990s, though, Hammer seemed to stabilize himself and made himself ready to undertake new projects.

In 1992, Hammer had admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song "Here Comes the Hammer" from a Christian recording artist in Dallas named Kevin Christian. Christian had filed a 16 million dollar lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement of his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got the Shing". This fact, compounded with witness testimony from both Hammer's and Christian's entourages, and other evidence (including photos), brought about a settlement with Capitol Records in 1994. The terms of the settlement remain sealed. Hammer settled with Christian the following year.

In 1997, just prior to beginning his ministry, M.C. Hammer (who by that time had re-adopted "M.C.") was the subject of an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the VH1 series Behind the Music (music from his album Inside Out V was featured in this documentary). In these appearances, Burrell admitted "that [he] had already used up most of [his] fortune of over $20 million, proving that money is nothing if it doesn't bring peace and if priorities are wrong". He would go on to express a similar point in other interviews as well.

During numerous interviews on radio stations and television channels throughout the years, Hammer was constantly questioned about his bankruptcy. During an interview by WKQI-FM (95.5) for the promotion of his "Pioneers Of Hip Hop 2009" gig at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, which featured 2 Live Crew, Naughty by Nature, Too Short, Biz Markie, and Roxanne Shanté, Hammer was asked about his finances by the Mojo in the Morning host. Hammer responded on Twitter that Mojo was a "coward" and threatened to cancel commercials for his upcoming show.

On November 21, 2011, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in California against Hammer to obtain a court judgment on his unpaid taxes for years 1996 and 1997. In December 2011, this litigation was reported in the media. Hammer owed $779,585 in back taxes from his earnings dating back to 1996–1997 - during the years Hammer was believed to be facing his worst financial problems. After years of public and media ridicule regarding his financial problem, Hammer tried to assure fans and "naysayers" via Twitter, claiming that he had proof he had already taken care of his debt with the IRS. "700k … Don't get too excited .. I paid them already and kept my receipt. Stamped by a US Federal Judge", Hammer tweeted from his account @MCHammer. However, the District Court ruled against Hammer. He appealed but, on December 17, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Hammer's argument that because the government had not listed those taxes in the government's proof of claim filed with the Bankruptcy Court, the government should be stopped from collecting the taxes. According to a 2017 episode of the Reelz TV series Broke & Famous, the situation was eventually resolved. As of the making of the aforementioned Broke & Famous episode, Hammer had a reported net worth of $1.5 million.

Obstruction charges

M.C. Hammer was arrested in 2013 in Dublin, California for allegedly obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties and resisting an officer (according to "stop and identify" statutes). Hammer claims he was a victim of racial profiling by the police, stating an officer pulled out his gun and randomly asked him: "Are you on parole or probation?" Hammer stated that as he handed over his ID, the officer reached inside the car and tried to pull him out. Police in Dublin, east of Oakland, said Hammer was "blasting music" in a vehicle with expired registration and he was not the registered owner. "After asking Hammer who the registered owner was, he became very argumentative and refused to answer the officer's questions," police spokesman Herb Walters typed in an e-mail to CNN. Hammer was booked and released from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. A court date was scheduled, however, all charges were dropped in early March. Hammer tweeted that he was not bitter and considered what happened "a teachable moment."

Christian beliefs and pastoral ministry

In 1984, Burrell began attending Bible studies, joined a street ministry and formed a gospel rap group known as Holy Ghost Boys featuring Jon Gibson. In 1986, Burrell along with Tramaine Hawkins, performed with Gibson's band doing several concerts at various venues such as the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills and recorded several rap songs. They collaborated on a song for Gibson's 1988 album (Change of Heart) called "The Wall", prior to M.C. Hammer's mainstream success. This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album.

Raised Pentecostal, Hammer strayed from his Christian faith during his success, before returning to ministry. His awareness of this can be found in a film he wrote and starred in called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990), in which he also plays the charismatic preacher character named "Reverend Pressure". Nonetheless, as a tribute to his faith, Hammer vowed/promised to dedicate at least one song on each album to God.

During 1991, Hammer was featured on the single "The Blood" from the BeBe & CeCe Winans album, Different Lifestyles. In 1992, the song peaked at No. 8 on the Christian charts.

Hammer later reaffirmed his beliefs in October 1997, and began a television ministry called M.C. Hammer and Friends on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, as well as appearing on Praise the Lord programs where he went public about his devotion to ministry as an ordained minister. Hammer officiated at the celebrity weddings of actor Corey Feldman and Susie Sprague on October 30, 2002 (as seen on VH1's The Surreal Life), and also at Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil and Lia Gerardini's wedding in January 2005.

During an interview on TBN (between 1997 and 1998), Hammer claimed he adopted the "M.C." back into his name which now stood for 'Man of Christ'. Hammer continued to preach while still making music, running a social media business and television show, and devotes time to prison and youth ministries.

From 2009 to 2010, Hammer joined Jaeson Ma at a crusade in Asia. Minister and mentor to Ma for more than a decade, Hammer assisted and co-starred in his documentary film 1040, which explores the spread of Christianity throughout Asia.

Legacy and pop culture fame

Widely considered the first "mainstream" rapper, Hammer continues to entertain while sharing his legacy with other rappers (as cited on BET.com). Hammer became a fixture of the television airwaves and the big screen, with his music being used in many popular shows, movies and commercials still to this day. Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies to the point that he was criticized as a "sellout", including commercials for British Knights during the height of his career. The shoe company signed him to a $138 million deal.

Hammer's impression on the music industry appeared almost instantaneous, as Digital Underground's rap "The Humpty Dance," which was released when Hammer was still early in his career, included the lyrics "People say ya look like M.C. Hammer on crack, Humpty!", boasting about Hammer's showmanship versus Humpty Hump (Shock G)'s inability to match it in dance. Additionally, Hammer had several costly videos, two in particular were "Too Legit to Quit" or "2 Legit 2 Quit" (in which many celebrities appeared) and "Here Comes the Hammer".

Hammer is well-known for his fashion style during the late 80s and early 90s. Hammer would tour, perform and record with his hype man 2 Bigg MC or Too Big (releasing a song in which he claimed "He's the King of the Hype"). This duo introduced the "shiny suit" and popularized Hammer pants to mainstream America, as seen in videos such as "(Hammer Hammer) They Put Me In A Mix", in which Hammer also claimed Too Big was the "King of Hype" and in an unspoken competition with Flavor Flav (hype man for Public Enemy) during the height of their careers.

Hammer also established a children's foundation, which first started in Hammer's own community, called Help The Children (HTC was named after and based on his song by the same name which included a music video with a storyline from his film Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie).

A Sesame Street segment features Elmo taking on the persona of MC Hammer; nicknaming himself "MC Elmo" and along with two backup singers they rap a song about the number five called "Five Jive".

In 1994, British TV presenter Mark Lamarr interrupted Hammer repeatedly with Hammer's catch phrase ("Stop! Hammer Time!") in an interview filmed for The Word, which he took in good humour. He claimed Hammer was a "living legend". It was also within this interview that Hammer explained the truth about his relationship with "gangsta rap" and that he was merely changing with the times, not holding onto his old image nor becoming a "hardcore gangsta". By some accounts, this change contributed to his decline in popularity.

In 2005, Hammer appeared in a commercial for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company which made a humorous reference to his career. First he is shown in his distinctive clothing with his dance troupe performing "U Can't Touch This" in front of a mansion representative of his former house with a monogram H on the gable. Then there is silence and a screen card saying "Fifteen Minutes Later" appears with a view of Hammer sadly sitting on the curb in front of the same house as a crane removes the monogram H and tow trucks pull away sports cars that were parked in front. After a large "Foreclosed" sign appears, the voiceover said "Life comes at you fast. Be ready with Nationwide!"

In 2006, M.C. Hammer's music catalog (approximately 40,000 songs) was sold to the music company Evergreen/BMG for nearly $3 million. Evergreen explained that the collection was "some of the best-selling and most popular rap songs of all time." Speaking for Evergreen Copyrights, David Schulhof stated the songs "will emerge as a perfect fit for licensing in movies, television shows, and corporate advertising." According to VH1, "Hammer was on the money. Hit singles and videos like "U Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit To Quit" created a template of lavish performance values that many rap artists still follow today."

In March 2009, Ellen DeGeneres made plans for Hammer to be on her show (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) after he contacted her via Twitter.

Hammer continues to give media interviews, such as being a guest on Chelsea Lately (June 16, 2009), where he discussed his relationship with Vanilla Ice, his stint on The Surreal Life, his show Hammertime, his family, his mansion, about him being in shape, his positive financial status and other "colorful topics" (subliminal jokes) regarding his baggy pants.

In 2010, Rick Ross released "MC Hammer" from the Teflon Don album which samples Hammer's "2 Legit 2 Quit".

To celebrate Hammer's 50th birthday, San Francisco game maker Zynga offered up some recent player's Draw Something drawings from his fans. Other sources/services offered "props" on behalf of his special occasion and to show appreciation for his memorable persona/gimmicks used during the peak of his career.

In 2012, Slaughterhouse released a single called "Hammer Dance", along with a video. "Hammer Dance" was the lead single from the Welcome to: Our House album.

During the 2013 Oakland Athletics season, the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video played on the Diamond Vision in between innings, usually during the middle of the 8th inning. The video featured prominent players from the San Francisco Bay Area's sports championships, such as former A's players Jose Canseco and hall of fame inductee Rickey Henderson.

Influences and effect

M.C. Hammer's career in rap and entertainment has influenced and been influenced by such artists as: Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, James Brown, Prince, Michael Jackson, Kurtis Blow, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rick James, Doug E. Fresh (who joined Hammer's Bust It Records label in 1992 and issued the album Doin' What I Gotta Do with the track "Bustin' Out (On Funk)" sampling the Rick James single "Bustin' Out") & The Get Fresh Crew (Barry Bee and Chill Will), Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Hammer was followed by related musicians: Will Smith, dc Talk, BB Jay, Diddy (aka "Puffy" or "Puff Daddy"), Young MC, B Angie B, M.C. Brains, MC Breed, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, C+C Music Factory, Mystikal, Bell Biv DeVoe, Kris Kross, Ho Frat Hoo! and Oaktown's 357.

Hammer also influenced the music industry with pop culture catchphrases and slang.

Some critics complained of a lack of originality in Hammer's early productions. Entertainment Weekly described "U Can't Touch This" as 'shamelessly copying its propulsive riff from Rick James ("Super Freak"). Hammer admits, "When I look at Puffy with a choir, I say, 'Sure that's a take-off of what I do."

Notable feuds/beefs Hammer had with other rappers include: LL Cool J, Vanilla Ice, Too Short, Redman, 3rd Bass, Jay-Z, Eminem, A Tribe Called Quest and Run-DMC. Several diss tracks were featured on The Funky Headhunter.

Award recipient, appearances and recognition

Throughout the years, Hammer has been awarded for his music, videos and choreography. He has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. He has won three Grammy Awards (one with Rick James and Alonzo Miller) for Best Rhythm and Blues Song (1990), Best Rap Solo (1990) and Best Music Video: Long Form (1990) taken from Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie. He also received eight American Music Awards, a People's Choice Award, an NAACP Image Awards and the Billboard Diamond Award (the first for a hip hop artist).

The International Album of the Year validated Hammer's talent as a world-class entertainer. Additionally, Hammer was also honored with a Soul Train Music Award (Sammy Davis, Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year) in 1991. He has also been a presenter/performer at Soul Train's Music Awards several times, including The 5th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (1991), The 9th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (1995) and Soul Train's 25th Anniversary (1995).

Hammer appeared on gospel music's Stellar Awards show in 1997 and spoke of his renewed commitment to God. In the same interview, he promised to unveil the "second leg" of his career.

In the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Hammer made a surprise appearance in the middle of the show with best friend Jermaine Jackson.

On June 12, 2008, Hammer gave his support to Warren Beatty by attending the 36th AFI Life Achievement Awards. In August 2008, at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships, Hammer won a Living Legends of Hip Hop Award from Hip Hop International in Las Vegas.

Hammer, Gary Vaynerchuk, Shaquille O'Neal and Rick Sanchez (host) celebrated the Best of Twitter in Brooklyn at the first Shorty Awards on February 11, 2009, which honored the top short-form content creators on Twitter. In September 2009, Hammer made the "accomplishment appearance" in Zombie Apocalypse for the downloadable Smash TV/Left 4 Dead hybrid for the Xbox 360. Hammer attended the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards which aired on BET November 29, 2009.

On January 5, 2010, Hammer (along with Alyssa Milano and others) was a member of panel judges for the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences at the Second Annual Shorty Awards. On October 2 (televised October 12), Hammer opened the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards performing "2 Legit 2 Quit" in Atlanta along with Rick Ross, Diddy and DJ Khaled (all performing together during "MC Hammer" from the Teflon Don album as well).

With over 2.6 million Twitter followers in 2010, his contribution to social media and as a co-founder of his own Internet businesses (such as DanceJam.com), Hammer was announced as the recipient of the first Gravity Summit Social Media Marketer of the Year Award. The award was presented to him at the 3rd Annual Gravity Summit on February 22, 2011 at the UCLA Covel Commons.

At the 40th American Music Awards in November 2012, Hammer danced to a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "2 Legit 2 Quit" along with South Korean pop star Psy, both wearing his signature Hammer pants. The collaboration was released on iTunes. The performance idea with Hammer came from Psy's management. They both performed it together again on December 31, 2012 during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Hammer received the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement (not to be mistaken for the Gershwin Prize), presented during the UCLA Spring Sing in Pauley Pavilion on May 17, 2013.

Tours and concerts

Notable tours and concerts include: A Spring Affair Tour (1989), Summer Jam '89 (1989), Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour (1990 & 1991), Lawlor Events Center at University of Nevada, Reno (1990-2017), Too Legit World Tour (1992), Red, White, and Boom (2003), The Bamboozle Festival (2007), Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (2008–2013), McKay Events Center with Vanilla Ice (2009), Illinois State Fair with Boyz II Men (2011), MusicFest (2012), Jack's Seventh Show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (2012), Kool & the Gang Superjam at Outside Lands (2014) and Hammer's All-star House Party Tour (2019).

Discography

Feel My Power (1986)

Let's Get It Started (1988)

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

Too Legit to Quit (1991)

The Funky Headhunter (1994)

Inside Out (1995)

Family Affair (1998)

Active Duty (2001)

Full Blast (2004)

Look Look Look (2006)

DanceJamtheMusic (2009)

#03/30

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flych1 · 4 years

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Kehlani singer on her new album

Kehlani, singer on her new album

Photo: Pari Dukovic

Kehlani

In early March, Kehlani was due to meet his label. She was preparing to release her second album - her first since she had a baby and a return to her roots R-B. She was scheduled to perform the first part of Justin Bieber's Changes tour, as well as a number of dream solo dates. Atlantic executives told him they believed in the album, which was scheduled for release on April 24, its 25th anniversary, but the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to develop a promotion plan. We'd have to postpone it. "I was casting actors and actresses. I was doing all kinds of things," she says of all the pre-production she had completed at the time of the mid-March meeting. We're talking about a video call from Zoom; Kehlani sits alone in a sunny room in his Los Angeles home. (Later, she will be joined by her dog, a pint of ice cream and a tequila-based drink with a slice of orange coming out). It just so happens that today is the original release date. They said, "We don't think you should take it out,"" she said. "And then I went to my room and made the 'Toxic' video on my laptop." She posted it on YouTube at the end of March. "People messed with it," she adds. When Kehlani's label accepted her request to release the album this month, it was stipulated that she had to do it all herself. "If all we do is make music and press the button, then you can do it," she says. "And I was like, 'Okay, challenge accepted fucking.'" So now Kehlani and her photographer, with whom she's in quarantine, are planning and editing music videos, photoshoots, and album coverage. (She also lives with her daughter, two younger siblings, a close friend and her assistant). His garage has been converted into a two-level studio, one side for music, the other for visuals. Kehlani has been a professional musician since the age of 13. A series of mixtapes - full of overshares about having a heart built and broken - and a random but successful debut album have already made her a leading figure in the industry. His music is R-B in its purest form: songs about how love defeats you, about floating on the pure adrenaline of a crush, about the desire of someone you can't trust in your heart. It's no coincidence that when white artists like Bieber and Charlie Puth want to look into an R-B sound, they call on Kehlani to help them. The new album, It Was Good Until It Wasn't, is part of a revival of the genre in the midst of its fiercest debates. It is also a transition disc, a bridge between adolescence and adulthood. Throughout her career, Kehlani has been considered the daughter of the R-B: sexy but boyish. In her old music, she played with both sides of the binary. On the new record, it got too big. She did so immediately after giving birth to her daughter Adeya, who is now one year old. (She is currently co-parenting with her ex, Adeya's father, Javaughn Young-White, younger brother of Jaboukie from the Daily Show). "People would always be like, Kehlani is adorable or, like, Kehlani is cool hella. But then I had a baby and it made me look more feminine," she says. "So I guess I thought, OK, I'm going to start shaking my ass and talk about it." (She wanted Bieber to do a song for her album, but he refused. "Because he's a super-married guy now, it didn't really fit," she said. Kehlani's self-managed music video for "Toxic", filmed with the only camera on her MacBook, shows the nervous figure of the singer slipping and squirming, rubbing her arms and hips. "Don Julio has ridiculed me for you," she tells her former lover that she won't reach out to him, even if her body urges her to do it out of instinct. Kehlani insists this is not his last relationship, which ended publicly and painfully, with Compton rapper YG earlier this year. It's the kind of personal drama that made headlines and made Kehlani's blog famous. She writes songs that address all of this openly. Her fans grow up with her career because she is transparent, sometimes to excess. Or, as she says, I do in public, and it makes people feel like I'm not a stranger. I'm a person with a human ass. I'm screwing up in front of the whole world." The conversation about the state of the R-B was revived last November, when Lizzo, often considered a pop artist, won album of the year at the Soul Train Awards, beating soul singer Ari Lennox. ("It's clear that I'm not cool enough," Lennox tweeted after his loss. Last February, rapper Young M.A. went further, saying that "we barely have R-B". Indeed, in recent years, the superstars of the genre - like SWV, Boyz II Men, Ginuwine, Toni Braxton - and their musical descendants have mostly failed to stop the charts as they did two decades ago; many contemporary black musicians evade the label, preferring to be called "alternative R-B", while others experiment more with genres that were once declared out of bounds by the guardians. Kehlani, on the other hand, is part of a coterie of artists who maintain the relevant R-B today, alongside newcomers like Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller and Lennox. She has a song for every step of a relationship: going under it, going over it, watching the door ahead, a personal promise to stop texting her. His music seems new - not as a consistent copy of a Brandy song - but the influence is palpable. She finds the current debate about gender - what the R-B is, what it was and where it has gone - boring. It may no longer sound like it did in the 90s, but rappers (think, more recently, Drake) have expanded it beyond the desperate desire (or desperate loves) of the last century. "I think people don't know enough about music to make these kinds of accusations [that the R-B no longer exists]. The R-B is simple lyrics and a great song. Lots of harmonies and batteries and melodic production," she says, as if it were easy. "I'll never be able to make 90s R-B music. I'm never going to be able to make R-B music from the early 2000s, because that's not when I was making music. It wasn't when I experienced things that shaped my words and my sound." Kehlani was born in Oakland and raised by her aunt. His mother struggled with drug addiction, and his father died when he was 24 years old and she was very young. A stint on America's Got Talent put her in touch with Nick Cannon, who paid for her to spend time in the studio to make her first mixtape in 2014. On Cloud 19, you can hear the beginnings of a great talent: his voice is more acute and younger, but it is overflowing with emotion. On the deck of Cloud 19's "As I Am" film, she sings and succeeds in the chorus of a Mary J. Blige classic. A week after the release of her second mixtape in 2015, she signed with Atlantic Records. Kehlani turned to pop with his debut album of 2017, SweetSexySavage, an album full of rushed and half-finished ideas. It was carried out amid a personal mental health crisis, sparked by rumors that she cheated on her ex-boyfriend, NBA player Kyrie Irving, in 2016. The relentless online bullying led her to attempt suicide. (Kyrie Irving later admitted that she had never been unfaithful.) "I started an album as a person and experienced the most traumatic event of my life," she says. Her label held on until the deadline, letting her make an album from songs she barely recognized. "I had no connection with the music," she says. "I was embarrassed about everything." The new record is a reset, closer to the Grammy-nominated mixtapes that made it famous. It Was Good Until It Wasn't Gives you the Pure B-R rush, the R-B "waiting for you to call me", the R-B "the only thing that interests me is you": the hits of Brandy and Monica in the 90s, the classics of Alicia Keys of the early 2000s who fall in love. She is also less affected by the nostalgia of adolescence than by the immediacy of adult desires. His first mixtapes were about childhood and adolescence; It Was Good Until It Wasn't at peace with the way most conflicts or heartaches unfold. The title comes from a conversation with a friend about her recent breakup. That's the life of this, you know? she said. The is good and then it's not good anymore. Although she has been in the industry since she was a teenager, Kehlani has never had any decisive success for her career, and it is unlikely that the new album will deliver one. "F-MU" is hot and dancing, and the collaboration with Canadian R-B star Tory Lanez, "Can I," is a sexy earworm - although neither song seems particularly suited to virality. His greatest successes are gossip blogs that overshadow his music. His three-month relationship with YG ended just after they released a song together proclaiming their love. (Their duet came out on the eve of Valentine's Day 2020; three days later, she released a breakup song after images of him cheating her surfaced). Minutes before one of our calls, Kehlani posted a series of tweets about a feud with another Oakland native, rapper Kamaiyah, who slammed her on Instagram Live about a previously unreleased mixtape and accused her of being a colorist, among other things. "She gave the green light to my family and me and told everyone in Oakland to kill us for a song," Kehlani says. (Kamaiyah later replied, telling Kehlani, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't threaten you," but added that "a green light means going like a fight, not shooting"). A moment after our discussion, she answered a phone call from a friend and nervously asked if her tweets - which had let the rapper know there was no bad blood - were correct, if she had handled the situation properly. Kehlani and Kamaiyah had long argued over a joint mixtape, which was to be released before the release of their two albums. Her production was difficult, and even the basic decisions - how many songs she should have, what it should be called, what the visual aesthetic should be - met, according to Kehlani, with Kamaiyah's resistance. In the end, she had had enough of back and forth, and the mixtape didn't seem as essential to her as the release of her album. When she came back to our call, her mood was appalled. I tried to contact her to do good business and she said, "If the project doesn't come out, you can't have it [one piece]," she says. "Even though I wrote it." Once again, she was swept away in a drama she couldn't control, tweeting clarifications about a quarrel she didn't care about, instead of celebrating the upcoming release of her album. But why challenge a misinterpretation if she is tired of getting carried away by the drama? How can I put this to rest and out of my body? Because I don't want to wear them," Kehlani says. "Even if you never want to piss me off again, how can I make sure you know it's love on this side?" she tweeted Kamaiyah to let the rapper know she wished him the best. She is satisfied with the way she has defused an unexpected quarrel. A few years ago, it would not have been as weighted. It took a lot of to get to this point, she says. The death of two friends in three months has put a lot of things in perspective. Philadelphia rapper Chynna overdosed in April at age 25; Minnesota rapper Lexii Alijai, whom Kehlani considered "a little sister," overdosed on New Year's Day at just 21 years of age. Lexii Alijai was scheduled to perform the first part of the post-Bieber tour as the headliner. "I couldn't believe it because Alijai was so young," she says. "It was a click, it was amazing, it was sad and it was heartbreaking. I'm always trying to find the best way to help them continue their legacy." Being 25 was also more than a quarter of a life. It was a horizon she never thought she would see. "I've always had a strange feeling about being 25 or older," she says. "It's a shock because I'm now older than my father was." that's part of what made It Was Good Until It Wasn't feel like the album she finally grew up on. "I wanted to be 25 on this one," she says.

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beaboutitpress · 4 years

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BRITNEY SPEARS BLACKOUT, by Kenneth Bartlett-Preston [be about it zine britney spears blackout]

I was a delusional teen that thought Britney Spears was a great singer. I had more than one argument with my mother about Britney’s expertise. At 31, I know the mistake in my ways. What she lacks in vocal capability she makes up in presentation and execution. Spear’s best achievement is her album Blackout. Blackout is before its time. Birthed between 2006 and 2007 and released in October 2007. You can’t tell me that before this, Pop and Hip hop had a better collaboration. I’m sure there are arguments for Run DMC’s collab with Aerosmith in “Walk this Way”, but I could argue until I’m blue in the face about what Blackout accomplished as a pop album.

Blackout was the cumulation of work by producers Danja, Jim Beanz, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, JR Rotem, and The Neptunes. Honestly what makes this album so amazing is the music created with Danja. Nate “Danja” Hills started off as a co-producer for the legendary Timbaland. Since he has created an amazing solo catalog with artists like Usher, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Whitney Houston, and many others.

The first single “Gimmie More” was a great impression of what Britney and her team had cooked up. “It’s Britney Bitch” signifies a persona used while recording this album. She’s more sensual, more fun, more aggressive, more outspoken. Songs like “Break the Ice,” “Get Naked (I got a plan),” “Freakshow,” “Hot as Ice” (secretly featuring Tpain), and “Get Back” are some of the stand out tracks demonstrating Brintey’s poise during a tumultuous time.

In a time where Britney had shaved her head, finalized her divorce from Kevin Federline, and checked herself into rehab, Britney needed to lose consciousness a bit. Blackout she did, and with that she released a masterpiece of trend setting pop. She blacked out and gave listeners the ferociousness needed to make a phoenix’s return.

Kenneth Bartlett - Preston is an Oakland, California Native. He is a graphic designer who likes hiking, and is keeping his eyes open for true love, which could come in the form of a puppy. Favorite Britney Spears song is “Break the Ice”

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#britney spears #britney spears blackout #be about it press #be about it zine #be about it britney #be about it blackout #musicislife #music criticism

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nycjaysan · 4 years

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yo, so imma make this because i think to like duke this out in order to get back into jay. in here, you can also find potential connections along with more of his personality.

past !!

born in germany on an air force base

but u like ask him where he was from and he be like ‘im tots from every where because i am a military brat’

moved to the states while his mother was preggers @ 2 years old

mom had a baby girl later diagnosed with autism

started ballet whenever he was 6

loved ballet and stayed in ballet, also did tap dancing

considered one of the best tap dancers as a teenager

found out he was bi as a teenager and was... ehhhhh... idc girls and boys are both hot and im hot so let’s make hot babies yo

went to college on a scholarship for dance because yeah

performed in the NYC Ballet for 10 years

got injured (dancers hips - real killer boooo)

basically couldn’t dancer any more or he would loose functionality in his hip flexors and became paralyzed, sup scary yo

did the only thing he knows how to do though - teach dance

got a job as a dance teacher

choreographed a couple of things

got to choreograph tap because that’s bailed

misses the stage so tried out for a few acting gigs

didn’t make it - booo right?

didn’t give up though, talked to a friend about amateur comedy night

basically was pushed on stage, and somehow made people laugh, wtf talent is this? he’s the shy quiet guy

he did it again, omg, he’s like funny

he continued to do this on the side of his dancing gig

will it become more????? mAyBe

personality !!

early life, jay was a shy boy bc he was always new and he’d move around a lot and he got tired of putting himself out there

lit doesn’t care about anything - he’d probably piss his pants in public and not care what you think

can come off catty as fuck, so if he insults u, he probably means it

sometimes can distance himself from people because like mane fuck u go away i needs my space

can be pretty good in emergency situations because hes use to keeping a level head bc of his sister

protective of people he loves because like people bullied his sister and he’ll like beat your pants off without thinking twice about it

dancers are actually naturally intelligent, facts look it up

since he is a comedian, he can be pretty ruthless whenever it comes to boundaries, please note it’s for comedic purposes and he isn’t meant to come off as racist, sexiest, homophobic, or anything of the sort, he’s probably just getting you to laugh

random headcannons !!

has a besto furry friend named rose who is a beautiful snow white husky

because he’s like a single dude living on his own, im pretty sure he holds his own for cooking, plus he need to keep that body toned

has like this beat up nook that’s like 10 years old and he loves it because he’s always on it (always reads on the sub way etc)

that means he’s like a reader, all he does is read read read

has danced ballet and tap professionally, so that’s like his thing

doesn’t mean he isn’t well versed in swing dance and salsa

has a green thumb, he’s a hipster before hipsters were cool, so his house is v minimal but has a beautiful shelf of plants

is a handy man around the house because that’s what his dad taught him

owns a game station because his sister likes to game therefore he’ll own a switch/ps4/xbox so that his sister can come play at his house

oh, his house is most likely in New Jersey because damn, who tf can figure out how to paid for a place in NYC

dresses pretty chill - like jeans and a shirt, he knows he looks good so he dress simple style

a man flexes his style and money with his watch - so like jay always got a nice watch on him (probs worth max like 500 bucks because like chill he ain’t that rich)

knows how to do make up and hair and like shit like that because you probably can’t get away with it in the dance industry with out it, plus he needs to teach little girls this shit so like yeah

owns a motorcycle because he’s like all bad ass and suicidal like that

owns a truck and a bmw as well because those are probably needed

doesn’t have tattoos or piercings because he ain’t about that

does speak spanish and german because like native languages yo

connections !!

most of his time was spent in texas//california (dallas and austin for texas and oakland and san francisco for california): so your character is from texas/california, it’s possible they’ve ran into each other

past lover: jay is basically a hopeless romantic, he lit can’t keep a gf/bf to save his life

child taught by jensen OR CAN BE ADULT TO: character lives in NYC or has come to NYC for a master class? jay can be there

tinder date: character in NYC? they can tots go on a tinder date because like jay be on the

gym mate: because he doesn’t need to keep his body lean like a dancer anymore

book club: this one is huge because jay loves books and reads books all the time so he’d probably love to discuss books with people who also love books

#about

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njnewsreporter · 5 years

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| 17 Celebrities from New Milford, Bergen County, NJ |

| By Sean Michael |

New Milford, New Jersey just seems like another regular American town that most people in the USA have never heard of, with a small population of 16,000 people. But there seems to be some magic in the air.

After consistently hearing about success stories of people coming out of New Milford, New Jersey, I did some research and was surprised to learn that there actually is a vast amount of talent who have gone on to do major things in the world coming out of this one small town. From Emmys to Oscars and Grammys. And from Broadway to the NFL to reality shows. I’m not sure what it is, but New Milford keeps churning out superstars that are changing the world. And it's time we recognize them. The following individuals are official inductees into the New Milford Hall of Fame. Thank you for your gifts and contributions to the world. You’re making us North Jerseyans proud!

Jack Antonoff - guitarist for the band FUN. He even wrote a song with Taylor Swift and Lorde. Antonoff has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won four Grammy Awards. He also started his own music festival, Shadow of The City, which takes place annually in New Jersey.

Redman: Grammy-nominated hiphop artist Redman owned a home in New Milford, NJ. Redman has released an album with Method Man and acted in the movie "How High". He had his best-known international hit with Christina Aguilera, when he was featured on her 2002 single "Dirrty". Around this time he was also featured on a popular remix of Pink's track “Get This Party Started”. He is cited in the song 'Till I Collapse as rapper Eminem's favorite rapper.

Sevan Apollo Poetry: Two-time reality show star featured on MTV’s True Life & ABC’s Glass House. Apollo has given 3 TEDx talks, broke a Guinness World Record, wrote a #1 Amazon Best-Selling book, organized the March for our Lives event in Oakland, and has interviewed dozens of celebrities like Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, Russell Simmons, Lady Gaga, Charles Manson, and more. Apollo has facilitated empathy trainings for the U.S. Department of State, with a workshop that was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. He is also the recipient of the United States Presidential “Point of LIght” Award.

Rob McClure: McClure played the title role in the musical Chaplin. After the show made it to Broadway, he was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Rob also appeared in Shrek the Musical, Grease, Mary Poppins, The Addams Family, Beetlejuice the Musical, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Rob is one of New Milford’s big breakthrough stars.

Ed Marinaro: Famous for his role on Hill Street Blues as well as turns on Laverne & Shirley and Sisters. Prior to his acting career, Marinaro was a standout football star for the Knights, playing for New Milford High School before going off to play for Cornell where he was runner up for the Heismann Trophy and was the first running back in the NCAA to rush for more than 4,000 yards. Marinaro played six seasons in the NFL, going to the Super Bowl twice.

Simon J.J. Racaza: Recent star of the reality series Top Shot on the History Channel, he finished just out of the top spot in the first season. This world class shooter is leading the U.S. team to the World Shooting Championships this year as the number one qualifier. When not competing, Racaza runs the firearms program for the Department of Homeland Security.

Jim Dray: An NFL tight end who played for the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns

Beth Fowler: She's been nominated for two Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award. In addition to the stage, Fowler also has screen credits appearing in both film and television. Past credits include Sister Act and Law & Order.

Tori “Stori” Diaz: A model, rapper, and singer who signed to Universal Motown and was featured on the Tyra Banks show.

Bobby Steele: This punk guitarist is a borough native and was a member of the legendary band The Misfits. He is currently with The Undead, the band he has lead for more than three decades.

J. Walter Christie: You may not know his name, but you certainly know his invention--the modern tank.

The Fontane Sisters: Are 3 sisters that had 18 songs reaching the Billboard pop charts, including ten in the Top 40. Their late 1954 recording, "Hearts of Stone", sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The sisters worked with NBC and Perry Como.

Joe Regalbuto: is known for his role as Frank Fontana on the CBS television sitcom Murphy Brown, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1989. He also acted in Mork & Mindy, Magnum PI, The Golden Girls, Alley McBeal, and Criminal Minds.

Jim McQueeny: Founder of Winning Strategies and an award-winning journalist who shared the Pulitzer Prize for his work with the Star Ledger.

Steve Stephen Savino: Featured on Travel Channel’s Toy Hunter.

Gennady Borukhovich: Gennady is the Co-Founder and CTO of FarFaria. He has built the company to a multi-million dollar organization with over a 100 employees. He also went viral when his Vogue Kanyne/Kim parody photo announcing their child went viral.

Stephen Lin: Starting off as an intern for SNL, Stephen went on to build a buzz as a comedian and actor by being featured in The Cobbler and Mr. Robot. He acted alongside Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury in the movie Queen.

#newmilford #newmilfordnj #newjersey #Nj #celebrities

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lareinemarie · 5 years

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Media’s Lack of Compassion Regarding Serial Murders of Black Women

Media's Lack of Coverage and General Society's Lack of Compassion Regarding Serial Murders of Black Women

"This thing is serious business, until we know women are safe in this community, we will be out here every year," - Activist Kathy Wray of the Imperial Women Coalition

"We all know, if these young women had been white, the whole town would have been shut down, until it was solved."- Commenter Mike at Abagond regarding the Henry Louis Wallace serial killings of 11 young Black women in Charlotte

"The police don’t care because these are black women… . It’s not like Lonnie killed no high-powered white folks. We don’t mean nothing to them. We’re black. What the @@@@. Just another @@@@@ dead. The @@@@ should not have been out there on drugs.”

Pamela Brooks, in “Tales of the Grim Sleeper”

This year will be the 10th anniversary of the Imperial House Murders(Anthony Sowell), the 25th anniversary of Henry Louis Wallace(Taco Bell Strangler), and the 40th anniversary of the Boston Murders.

This will be a year-long series on how mainstream media and society disregards the serial murders of Black women in America. Eleven years ago, I wrote a blog post, Crimes Against Black Women: Four Cases regarding the neglect of media and police coverage regarding murders of Black women by people of all races and ethnicities as well as the insensitivity of the general public. I going to discuss the Anthony Sowell murders, along with the Grim Reaper, and of course, Henry Louis Wallace(a.k.a. Bad Henry). There has been other serial murderers of Black women in the past and current centuries. Such as Gary Heidnik who murdered several Black women in the Philadelphia area. Benjamin Atkins in Detroit in 1991-1992 murders of 11 women. East Cleveland killer Michael Madison. Larry Bright killed eight Black women in the Peoria area back during 2004-2005. The Gary Indiana killer back in 2012. The still unsolved serial murder case in Rocky Mount, N.C. in 2009. But my focus will be on the four cases at hand. The police should have warned that a murderer in the community and to make sure community has an input in solving murders and to bring the perpetrators to justice. How the media should have had more sensitivity to those who are marginalized.

There will be at least four parts to this subject. Because this is repeatedly ignored by the general public, society and media. Professor Cheryl L Neely of Oakland(MI) Community College discussed this lack of attention and police indifference in her debut book, You're Dead, So What. She discussed at length how media, law enforcement, and the general public indifference to Black female victims of homicide. She give examples and comparison between the murder of Imette St. Guillen and Stepha Clark. How the media and the police treatment of such women are base upon socioeconomic class and race.

We all know that mainstream media often saturate missing and murdered women with stories about beautiful, middle class White and Latina female victims such as Chandra Levy, Mollie Tibbitts, Nixzmary Brown, Laci Peterson, Kate Steinle, etc. There's a label for the aforementioned victims, coined as the "Missing Beautiful White Woman Syndrome." They're also considered victims deserving of sympathy, compassion, and empathy. Sure, the pedestalization of White American women help solidify the idea of young, beautiful White women as worthy of remembrance. They, along with lighter-skinned non black women of Color are the standard of beauty in America today. We Americans still refer to celebrity White women as American Sweethearts who captured the hearts of Americans and others worldwide. They're considered as sweet, easy on the eyes, and personable. Also, non black women and girls get the assumption of innocence regardless of circumstances.

In contrast, society have very little compassion for Black women victims of crime, let alone serial killers. As a matter of fact, Black female victims are labeled in American society and media as being

"loose", "fast", "crackheads", "runaways", drug users, "sluts","whores", "thots", mentally unstable, "baby-making machines", and "welfare queens". Likewise, the mainstream American media and the general public tendency to label Black females as "street women", "Chickenheads","prostitutes", "ghetto","junkies", "ratchet" and so on. For a very long time, Black women academics long contended that the controlling images of Black women(Jezebel, Mammy, Sapphire, Welfare Queen, Crackheads, etc.) are employed to stigmatize an already marginalized group of women. The jezebel stereotype especially. That stereotype justified abuse of Black women by White and Black men since slavery. Such abuse rarely invoke outrage from the public. That needs to change.

Speaking of the Madonna/whore ideology. From historic times, society in general always label women as either good, chaste women, wives, mothers, nuns or they're loose women, prostitutes, and mistresses/courtesans. Renaissance artists reflected societal views of women through the Madonna paintings by famous artists Lippi, Botticelli, Raphael, etc., or nude paintings such as the Venus of Urbino by Titian.

In American society, the Madonna/whore ideology is strong, tinged with class and race components. White and other non black women, especially East Asian women are considered the "sacred Madonna" while Black, Native American, and certain Latinas, especially the Caribbean Latinas are labeled as "bad women" deserving of their fate. This view is far more widespread as the lack of coverage, the disparaging remarks in and out of cyberspace, and general indifference on the part of law enforcement to solve murders of Black women in America and Indigenous women in Canada.

The Madonna/whore mythology were used in how the public reacted to murders of Black women, the Heidnik, the Larry Bright, Gary Ridgeway, the Sowell case and the Henry Louis Wallace cases in particular.

For example, the Cleveland convenience store owner showed sympathy to Anthony Sowell, whom he said in the Unseen interview that "he took out the garbage". That's a blatantly hateful remark. He saw the victims, living and dead, of Anthony Sowell as being "worthless" and "undeserving" to him. He labelled the victims as worthless drug addicted and prostitutes(which most weren't)

Again using the Madonna/whore ideology in connection to the slow reaction on the part of Charlotte police in connection with the Henry Louis Wallace serial murder case, a concerned young woman named Angala Grooms in East Charlotte stated that the police did not care because they viewed the pretty young Black female murder victims of Henry Louis Wallace:

"I feel like they wrote us all off as some fast little black girls who didn't really matter."

The Madonna/whore ideology strategy was used by the defense during the Henry Louis Wallace trial as well.

In the December 2014 issue of Vanity Fair article covering the Grim Sleeper and how law enforcement turned a blind eye to the serial murder of Black women, Franklin’s son Christopher describes meeting L.A.P.D. officers who asked if they could shake his hand, aware that he was the son of the Grim Sleeper. Broomfield was dumbstruck by the revelation. “Christopher told me his father had a lot of fans in law enforcement. Some police officers actually admired Lonnie for ‘cleaning up the streets.’ That seemed, to me, too incredible—that a serial killer could be a person who was respected within certain sections of law enforcement

Unfortunately, those attitudes are widespread in society, seeing poor, Native American, Latina, and Black women as being of lesser value than other American women.

There's a deeply troubling disparity in reporting the disappearance and homicides of female victims reflects racial inequality and institutionalized racism in the social structure.

Oftentimes when reporting, there's a considerable bias when it comes to Black American female murder victims. The reporters always want probe into the backgrounds of such women, their sexual histories, criminal records, the neighborhoods where they reside, their work/education backgrounds, history of drug/alcohol addictions, and whom their associations were as if they had done something wrong to cause their demise.

They were rarely described in the media as being attractive, beautiful, smart, intelligent, serious, wonderful wives, good mothers, or pretty. Those descriptions are reserved for middle/upper class and/or famous non black victims.

With precious few exceptions, there are very few media outlets cover Black female homicide/serial murder victims with sympathy and compassion.

The Cleveland victims of Anthony Sowell received coverage and even some compassion from local newspaper journalists. Writer Steve Miller wrote a compassionate book focusing on the victims and their lives in the book, Nobody's Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell. They didn't focus too much on the victims' drug/alcohol addictions, criminal records, poor family lives, etc. Instead, they discuss about their lives before circumstances took them away. Even the Grim Sleeper victims are rehabilitated by author Christine Pilasek in her book, The Grim Sleeper: Lost Women of South L.A. Of course, the beautiful victims of Henry Louis Wallace. Although they didn't get much coverage outside of Charlotte, they were written sympathetically as well.

Ten years ago, I wrote a blog post about violence against Black women. I wrote this in an attempt to get America and the world to acknowledge the violence done to Black women in America.

So many people, lurkers, scholars, crime experts came to this website for knowledge and information. However, I will discuss the various serial murders of Black women in full detail and to bring more awareness to the public. Here's the link to my old blog post:

https://httpjournalsaolcomjenjer6steph.blogspot.com/2007/08/crimes-against-black-women-four-cases.html

This will be at least ten segments regarding media and societal disregard for Black women and girls who are victims of serial murder. They're not in the media and the general society don't care in the least about them unless they're passing judgment regarding Black serial murder victims like the owner of a Cleveland convenience store featured in the 2016 documentary, Unseen.

Black women and girls were devalued both in life and death.

That attitude needs to change.

In the year-long series, I will be discussing at length the Anthony Sowell murders and his victims, living and dead. How the city of Cleveland neglected impoverished Pleasant Hill neighborhood, the failings of the police, the residents, and business owners in detecting the murders and the smell of death along with it, the fallout of the Sowell case, and of course, the survivors of Sowell. Their voices matter as well.

In the second series, I'll do a lengthy series on the victims of Henry Louis Wallace. Third, the Grim Sleeper, and finally the 1979 Boston murders and how feminists and Black groups organized to bring awareness of the murders of Black women in Boston.

Here is the outline of the upcoming segments regarding serial killers of Black women:

I Anthony Sowell: The Imperial House Murders

A. The Victims and Survivors of Anthony Sowell

Deceased Victims

1. Tonia Carmichael

2. Tishana Culver

3. Leshonda Long

4. Crystal Dozier

5. Michelle Mason

6. Kim Y. Smith

7. Amelda Hunter

8. Nancy Cobbs

9. Diane Turner

10. Janice Webb

11. Telacia Fortson

Survivors

1. Latundra Billups

2. Vanessa Gay

3. Shawn Morris

4. Gladys Wade

5. Vernice Crutcher

6. Melvette Sockwell

B. Media Coverage and Trial

1. Trial

2. Witness testimonies

3. Testimonies from Survivors

4. Sentencing Phase

C. Legacies

1. Documentaries

a. Unseen

b. Vice's Right Red Hand: The Cleveland Strangler

c. Investigation Discovery Killer Instinct

2. Books

a. Nobody's Women by Steve Miller

b. House of Horrors by Robert Sberna

3. Memorials

a. Proposed 11 Angels Memorial

4. The Victims' families' continued pain

a. Lawsuit and subsequent settlement with the City of Cleveland

b. Lack of counseling for the victims' families

c. Survivors of Sowell and their perspectives

5. Activism

a. Kathy Wray of the Imperial Women

6. Podcasts

II Henry Louis Wallace: The Taco Bell Strangler, a.k.a Bad Henry

A. The Victims and their lives

1. Tashonda Bethea

2. Sharon Lavette Nance

3. Caroline Love

4. Shawna Denise Hawk

5. Audrey Ann Spain

6. Valencia Michele Jumper

7. Michelle Denise Stinson

8. Vanessa Little Mack

9. Brandi June Henderson

10. Betty Jean Baucom

11. Debra Ann Slaughter

B. Media Coverage and Trial

1. Venue change and jury selection

2. Trial and Sentencing

C. Legacies and Memorials

1. Mothers of Murdered Offspring

a. Dee Sumpter- Shawna Hawk's mother

b. Objectives of the organization

2. Documentaries and Movies

a. Investigation Discovery Bad Henry

b. Southern Fried Homicide: Too Many Women

3. Academic Case Studies

4. The Victims' families' legacies

a. Tribute To The Victims of Henry Louis Wallace

5. Memorials

6. Podcasts

7. Sheriff Gary McFadden

III The Grim Sleeper Murders/South Side Murders in Los Angeles

A. Why so Long?

B. Police and Public Apathy

C. Victims

D. Arrest and fallout of the LAPD

a. Labeling of victims: NHI(no human involved)

b. Troubling support of the serial murderer by the LAPD

E. Trial and Sentencing

F. Media and Academic Studies

1. Book: The Grim Sleeper: The Lost Women of South Central L.A.

2. Only Good Victims Need Apply: Tales of the Grim Sleeper

G. Activism

1. Margaret Prescod

IV The Boston Murders

A. The media coverage of victims

1. Criticism

B. Feminists and Black community criticism of the handling of the murders

1. Six Black Women: Why Did They Die?

a. Combahee River Collective

1. Barbara Smith

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freehawaii · 5 years

Text

KUMU PAUL NEVES - PEACEFUL WARRIOR & AMBASSADOR OF ALOHA

Ke Ola -March/April 2020 - By Marcia Timboy

Kumu Hula Paul Neves is a familiar and esteemed presence to many on Hawai`i Island: a cultural practitioner, community organizer, vocal proponent of Native Hawaiian rights and sovereignty, and a high chief in the Royal Order of Kamehameha I. He has created hālau hula communities on a foundation of aloha with the intent of making a difference in the world, through the practice of Hawaiian cultural arts and values.

Paul was born in San Francisco, California on September 27, 1953, the 13th child of Manuel “Red” Neves and Agnes Kaina Kea. His father, Red, was from Kīlauea, Kaua`i. Paul’s grandparents, Joao Neves and Maria Rodrigues-De Pao, migrated from Madeira, Portugal to Kaua`i as plantation laborers in 1907. Red moved to O`ahu for better employment opportunities soon after high school. He eventually found work with the federal government.

“Papa was a civil service crane operator at Pearl Harbor, in charge of putting fresh water on the battleships. He narrowly escaped death during the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941.”

Paul’s mother, Agnes Kea from Palama, O`ahu, was one of 14 children (as was Red). Her father, John Kea Mano was born in Kalaupapa, Molok`‘i. Agnes’ great-grandfather, Mano, originally from Wailua, Kaua‘i, was diagnosed with Hansen’s disease and sent to Kalaupapa leper colony in 1888.

Mano and a Lahaina woman, Nellie Nahiole`a, who also contracted the disease, started a family. Agnes Kea’s grandfather, born in 1892 in Kalaupapa, did not have leprosy. “My maternal great-grandparents’ signatures can be found on the ku‘e document, protesting the annexation of Hawai`i.”

After a quick courtship of two months, Red Neves and Agnes Kea were married in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi in 1933. “My parents began their family in 1934. The war years were challenging for many kama`āina families. My dad did not like martial law in Hawai`i,” recalls Paul. Following WWII, his dad assisted in the cleanup after the Hilo tsunami of 1946. When his civil service job relocated to the West Coast, the family relocated as well.

Growing up Hawaiian on the Mainland

Kumu Paul was born in San Francisco, but he was brought up in the Hawaiian/kama`āina way. The Neves `ohana (family) bought a house and several lots in Bernal Heights in San Francisco, creating a Hawaiian-style homestead. “Dad raised pigs, cattle, goats, chickens, and we had an orchard and vegetable gardens. My folks tried to duplicate old Papakōlea [Hawaiian homestead lands in Honolulu] right above the City,” Paul remembers fondly.

During the 1950s through 1960s, the family was part of an intimate San Francisco community of Hawai`i transplants, hosting entertainers from “home” with backyard kanikapila (music jams) and island-style home cooking. Many of the Fairmont Hotel’s Tonga Room entertainers, and other touring Hawaiian musicians from ocean liners, would find their way up to the “Hawaiian homestead” of Bernal Heights. His mother, always so graciously generous in an innately Hawaiian way, shared whatever the family had.

“Poor is when you don’t know who you are,” Agnes Kea Neves told young Paul and his siblings, and she made sure they knew who they were, grounded in where they came from, Hawai`i.

His parents visited Hawai`i at least once a year on the Lurline or Mariposa ocean liners, to visit family and friends and transport Hawai‘i food and other supplies back to their adopted home.

The turbulent 1960s—with the Vietnam War, racial discord, and social upheaval—brought life-changing challenges to the Hawaiian family. Compelled to move back to Hawai`i after more than two decades away, the family settled in Kailua, O`ahu in 1968.

“They never forgot who they were or where they came from. My dad never considered himself haole,” says Paul, although his dad was Portuguese—of European descent.

Wandering, to Return

Young Paul graduated from Kailua High School in 1971, and left the islands in 1973 to seek adventure and opportunity. He and a friend headed down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Mexico.

“We hung out there [Mexico] for around six months, living like hippies!” After driving back to Northern California, he explored living in several cities while working for Air California from 1974–1984, moving from Oakland to San Diego in 1975, and from San Diego to Las Vegas in 1979.

Moving to Las Vegas was a pivotal point in strengthening his cultural identity. He began studying renowned Kumu Hula No`eau Winona “Nona” Desha-Beamer, and kumu `ūniki (given status of kumu hula) from Aunty Nona in 1968. Subsequently, `ūniki was from Kumu Kaho`onei in 1999, after 20 years of study.

Since moving to Hilo in 1984, Kumu Paul has been active and involved in spiritual, cultural, and political issues facing Native Hawaiians. In 1986, he was a founding member of Ka Lahui Hawai`i, a sovereignty initiative. He also served the Catholic community for 21 years as a pastoral associate until 2004. He has given workshops in the Cook Islands, across the US continent, Puerto Rico, Europe, at the United Nations, the World Council of Churches, the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, and has participated as an official observer for the Royal Order of Kamehameha I in regards to the Hawaiian Kingdom at World Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Kumu Paul established Hālau Ha‘a Kea o Akala in 1998; Hālau Ha‘a Kea o Kinohi in 2004, jointly based in Hilo, San Francisco, and Kyoto, Japan; and Hālau Ha‘a Kea o Mokihana in Washington, DC. He has judged and participated in hula competitions in Hawai‘i and Japan, including Hilo’s own Merrie Monarch Festival. “Hula people are ambassadors of aloha,” Paul proudly states.

When his parents moved to Hawai`i Island from O`ahu in 1989, Kumu Paul was already an integral member of the Hawaiian cultural community and aware of its concerns—one being the overdevelopment of “crown lands” on Mauna Kea. He asked his mother, Agnes Kea, about lineal ties to Mauna Kea, because of the family name.

“She said there is protection from Mauna a Kea, that it brings about balance. ‘Weʻre Kea people—unblemished.

The mountain without blemish. Itʻs so holy, youʻre not supposed to go up there and if you do go there, itʻs for something really important. You walk very softly; you leave no footprints.ʻ Thatʻs how she explained it.”

Kumu Paul believes he returned home to Hawai‘i for a higher purpose. “We were given a special place to live with God. That’s why the whole world comes here. We cannot replace what it is.”

Kāhea—The Call

On April 10, 2009, Kumu Paul attended the momentous 50th wedding anniversary of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. He had developed a rapport with the royal family when, as a member of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, he escorted Princess Sayako to the top of Mauna Kea in 1998 to visit Subaru Observatory. They met with the late well-known astronomer, Dr. Norio Kaifu, then the Subaru project’s director.

During a lunch meeting a few years later, Kumu Paul and his mentor, Genesis LeeLoy, candidly expressed their concern on further development atop Mauna Kea to Dr. Kaifu. “Please do not build more after Subaru,” they implored Dr. Kaifu. Kumu Paul believes that conversation was the reason no observatories have been built on Mauna Kea since 1998. Kumu Paul honored the astronomer’s integrity when he was invited to speak at Dr. Kaifu’s memorial in Tokyo in September 2019 by sharing the story of the lunch meeting to hundreds of dignitaries and scientists. “Dr. Kaifu [an architect of the TMT] didn’t say where to build the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]…Would you put it on Mount Fuji?”

The proposal of building the TMT has awakened an activist movement for many Hawaiians and their supporters worldwide.

Kumu Paul believes that Mauna Kea has called out “she that protects, now needs protecting.” He and the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, have heeded the kāhea (call), by establishing an ahu (altar) and a pu`uhonua (place of refuge) at the base of Mauna Kea. They have stood in vigilance since July 13, 2019 to protect Mauna Kea from further development and will do so “until the last aloha ‘āina,” Paul declares.

“The spirit of Mauna Kea is calling upon the Hawaiian people to realign their spiritual past, present, and future. Hawaiians have the kuleana, the privilege, and responsibility to share ‘kapu aloha’ with the world.” Paul believes that the true physical sign of this is: first light at Kumukahi, Puna, aligns with the Naha stone to Mauna Kea’s summit and consequently up the island chain to Mokumanamana in the northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Kumu Paul reflects, “We are all here for a reason. In my vision, Hawai`i is the new Geneva. This is where people come to learn peace. The Mauna Kea movement is firmly grounded in the concept of ‘kapu alohaʻ—to conduct oneself in pono [righteous] and sacred behavior, and many who visit the mauna are touched to practice peace. One must be silent when approaching Mauna Kea, listen to what she has to say, as she is bringing balance and alignment for all of us here.”

#paul neves #we are mauna kea #protect mauna kea #aloha aina #ku kiai mauna #free hawaii #hawaiian kingdom #aole tmt #tmt shutdown

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brattywriters-anonymous · 6 years

Text

This Way..

Part V (and the Valentine’s Day special) of the “I’m Never Wrong” Series.

Erik x (Black!)Reader

Fic Playlist: Back in One Piece x DMX feat. Aaliyah, This Way x Khalid feat. H.E.R, Gonna Love Me x Teyana Taylor, You Got Me x The Roots feat. Erykah Badu

Warnings: ANGST, Violence, Erik done fucked up!

It had been over six months since your night off, and quite a bit has changed. You recently chose to work as the remote part time senior partner to spend more time with Leanna and JuJu, as you promised N’jadaka on your honeymoon. The two of you made a pact to be more involved in the family you were building. He vowed to transition from Wakandan Wardog to the Director of the Oakland Wakandan Outreach Center. In reality, N’jadaka was only home for about four months out of the year. One month for every season. When he left a month after your romantic night, he promised that it was his last mission and he’d only be gone for a month. One month turned into six. It was reminding you of the first year of your relationship when he returned from Wakanda. Except for now, you have paperwork and two children between you. Which fueled your anger on a different level.

Each day that passed after that promised month, Y/N’s resentment grew. It had been radio silence for five months, JuJu had learned to roll over, crawl, and even started standing on his own. N’jadaka missed all of those precious milestones. He and Y/N couldn’t even celebrate his birthday together the week prior to this one. This particular day, you cup runneth over. Leanna is on her worst behavior, talking back and being sassy. N’Juma was screaming all day at the top of his lungs due to his top two teeth coming in. You couldn’t even finish reviewing your junior partner’s briefings due to your children running amok in your house. You have had it. While Lee Lee was throwing all of her toys out of her bin, and JuJu was having a temper tantrum, you walked out on your porch.

You let out a scream and broke down. You were out of steam, out of options. Your ears pick up the sound of tires rolling up to your house. Since your home is the only one in the col du sac, whoever it is is either turning around or they’re parking. When you hear the engine die you lift your head to find a blacked out Suburban. Nakia emerges from the passenger seat, Ayo from the drivers side. You hold your breath, thinking the worst when you don’t see N’jadaka. You see the rear passenger door crack open, you let out a short sigh; still panicking because you can’t see who’s behind the tented windows. Those muddy steel toe boots hit the pavement your breathing find it’s normal pattern, then your eyes turn more red than they already are from your tears.

Erik gets out of the car, all smiles. That’s until he sees your bloodshot eyes and mean mug. His smiles disappear into a look of concern. You charge straight for him with your fists balled. You huff as you swing and your fist connect with his cheekbone. He reaches for your arm but your anger adds to your speed. Your other fist bangs against his nose. His head twists to the opposite side of your abuse as blood flies across your front yard. He gains control of your arms, ignoring his injuries. “Y/N, Y/N! Dammit! Calm down, woman!” You grunt at his demand, trying to free yourself from his hold. He grips your wrists tighter, “Our kids in there alone!? Ayo, Nakia, can y’all check on them please?”

The pair stand among you two in shock. Nakia taps Ayo’s side and they fall into the house. “I’ve been taking care of them day in and day out for over six months so excuse me for needing to take a fucking breather, N’Jadaka! Why didn’t you call? Why haven’t I heard from you!? I was starting to think you--” “You was starting to think I was dead?” “I was starting to think yo ass left! You’re so fucking selfish! I can’t even believe you right now. Hopping out of the car like you were gonna be met with kisses and hugs. Nigga fuck you!” You shove him with your shoulder, he surrenders and lets you go. You push the front door open, it slams against the wall; attention from your children, Ayo, and Nakia turns to you.

You make a beeline to your bedroom and you start stuffing clothes, toiletries, and shoes into your oversized backpack you fill it to the brim and grab your car key. You brush past your estranged husband to close your laptop and put that in its respective bag. “Where do you think you going?” “Away from you.” And with that, you turn you back and trail to your car. You hear N’jadaka’s heavy footsteps follow you, “Babe, can we talk about this? I’m so--” “Yeah I know, You’re sorry. You’re sorry as fuck. You let half a fucking year go by! You haven’t seen or heard from me. Let alone your daughter and son. You missed Leanna’s birthday! You’ve missed so fucking much with not even so much as a bullshit filled excuse as to why!” As he intends on interrupting you, you slap him clean across his cheek. “You had six months to talk and you didn’t. I’m about to say my peace before I peel out. I’ve highhandedly taken Leanna to and from school, battled her chicken pox and three colds she’s gotten, and put her in ballet in the six and a half months of your absence. I’ve watched N’Juma flourish. He went from babbling and slobbering to teething, crawling, and standing. The boy is damn near walking and you were nowhere to be found! You left me here with little to no help and support. I needed you! You neglected your responsibilities and didn’t make good on your promise which left me to pick up your slack!”

N’jadaka swipes his thumbs across your cheeks to wipe your tears but you push him away, “You ain’t shit for this ‘Ja. You really not. I’m out. I’ll be back whenever. Like you.” You push start your car and peel off with your tires screeching.

Erik’s POV

Lee Lee and JuJu were both screaming and crying at Y/N’s dramatic exit. I knew I had some explaining to do when I got home but, shit! I didn’t know I was gon come back to a couple of blows to my face(PAUSE). Now I’m in the middle of my living room, with two crying kids on my hip with my sore ass face.

I finally get my kids asleep and I start my search for my wife. I call up Shuri, “Hey cuzzo, are Y/N’s Kimoyo beads activated?” Shuri types some figures into her database before answering, “Yes. She’s traveling pretty fast. She may be on a flight.” “A flight!? Where?” Shuri gets to typing again, “Let’s cross check the San Fran International flights.. track the flight plans with her location.. Cousin?” “Yeah?” She pauses before continuing, “She’s coming here.” “Here, meaning, Wakanda?” “Yes.”

T’challa has allowed flights to come into our home country, exclusively for natives and their families. So Y/N actually going is a pleasant surprise. “Alright, bet. Tell ‘Cha I need the jet.” “N’Jadaka, maybe you should give her some time, eh?” “Shuri, maybe you shoooould mind your business, eh? Look I’ve gone six months without my wife. I need her to come home. Plus, it’s not gon be just me coming. The kiddos are tagging along too.” Shuri smiles at the suggestion, “Great! Mother has been dying to meet them!”

Y/N’s POV

“Good Morning ladies and gentlemen! We are now landing. Welcome to Wakanda!” The flight attendant graciously announces my arrival to N’jadaka’s home country. I haven’t been back here since the wedding. Since Leanna was too young to travel, she’s never been here and of course JuJu hasn’t either. I miss my babies, don’t get me wrong. But being with those two, caring for them day in and day out for that long, alone, took it’s toll on me. Mentally and physically. I need this vacation. This is the best place I thought about going in the midst of my rage. The clear port is next to the Golden city. I find my way to the center of the city to Shuri’s lab where it seems like she’s waiting.

“About time, Y/N!” She hugs me tight, “How are you?” “Uh, Shuri, how did you know I was coming?” She gives me a childish chuckle, “My cousin asked me to track you down. I knew you were coming about an hour after you took off.” I roll my eyes, “So he’s coming?” Her eyes wonder off as she turns back into her lab, “I do not know Y/N! But uhm, come on in. I wanna show you what I’ve been working on. And I’ll take those while I’m at it..” She rolls my Kimoyo beads off of my wrist, “Why? They work just fine.” “Ugh! You sound like T’challa! Just as I tell him. Just because something is working, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” Some contraption standing before us piques my interest, she begins explaining what it is. “This is what I’ve been working on. It’s a collection of vibranium bots. I got the Idea from that Disney movie, Big Hero 6. Leanna showed it to me! They’re about 300,000 microbots that can help improve the construction and infrastructure in major cities all over the world.” The microbots built a replica of T’Challa’s panther suit, a car, and finished off with a replica of the outside of Shuri’s lab. “Wow Ri, this is awesome!”

Shuri turns off the remote which controlled the bots in the form of a glove. “Thank you Y/N. It’s only in prototype stage right now. But.. once it’s ready for mass production, I’ll introduce it after opening the latest Outreach center in Brooklyn, New York City!” I’m truly impressed. Shuri is a kid genius. I surely hope Leanna takes after her since they are quite fond of one another.

“Cool! I’m sure you’ll be in the Forbes magazine, once again, on that invention alone. Anywho, how’s Queen Mother?” “Queen Mother is doing quite well, Y/N.” T’challa and Shuri’s mother appears from the front entrance. “Queen Mother.” I bow, she takes my hand to pull me upright, “Y/N, we are family. There’s no need to bow.” Ramonda gives me the warmest hug. I truly feel at home here. The people are beautiful, it’s like the colors are more vibrant. The sun rises and sets in a brighter tone. Maybe I should’ve made it here a long time ago.

I pursue Ramonda to the throne room as she asks, “Now child, what brings you to Wakanda? I know that American holiday for lovers is tomorrow. Where’s my nephew?” I’m trying to think of how to tell her what happened in a respectful manner. Even though we are technically family, I still want to reply in a courteous manner. “Well.. Er-- I mean, N’jadaka.. He said he was only gonna be gone for a month. A month was more like half a year. Plus, to be honest, I haven’t even thought about Valentine’s day.” Ramonda’s face furrows into one of amusement. “Maybe you should think about that Y/N, it may remind you and him why you fell in love to begin with. I am not sure why he would tell you when he would return. War dog missions have no set duration.” I stare out to the panoramic view of the Golden City, “He wasn’t supposed to be doing this forever either.” Ramonda hums in agreement, “Mhm. He’s spoken to T’challa about that mission being his last. He will be accepting the director position for Director of your home town’s Outreach center, yes?”

“I mean, yeah. I guess. He never told me any of that.” I let out a sigh “You never gave me the chance to explain, love.” Swinging around toward the door, I find N’jadaka standing in his typical at ease stance, force of habit from bring in the Navy. My mouth twitches to form a smile, but my thoughts correct me. “What are you doing here ‘Ja?” He plasters a smirk and shrugs, “I came to get my wife. What is my wife doing here?” “She came here to relax, to reflect. We can do that.” N’jadaka turns his lip up and nods, “Okay Y/N. As far as I can tell, you do need that. You damn sure deserve it.” I cross my arms, deeply amused at his response, “Ha! Ha! Oh, We, huh? What part of me leaving you with the kids you didn’t understand? What part of anything I told you has you misconstrued that got you to come here?”

He mirrors my movement, crossing his arms, “I don’t have anything misconstrued, Y/N. I get everything you said to me. I apologize for making you feel neglected, baby. I just didn’t wanna start anything by telling you it was gonna take a lot longer than I thought before I completed the mission. Next thing I knew, we had to go under the radar, and I couldn’t tell you.” “N’jadaka Erik Stevens-Udaku. How dare you! You left me to think whatever!” He grips me by my waist and pulls me to him, looking at me face to face, “I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for it all. I think you should be here right now. You need some R&R, I get that. So, we’ll be spending Valentine’s Day here this year.”

“Ugh. Here you go with this we shit again!” Ramonda clears her throat, “I apologize..” ‘Ja whispers in my ear, “I don’t just mean me in the we..” I hear tiny footsteps close in, “Mommy! This place is so prettyyyy!” Leanna exclaims this to me while reaching her tiny arms as far as they can stretch to hug my legs. I bend down to meet the love that is my first born, “It is isn’t it?” She enthusiastically nods, “Yes! Baba said this is where he’s from, why don’t we live here?” He intercepts, “Le, we don’t live her because daddy and mommy have responsibilities to home.” I pick her up and nod, “Yeah, we both have jobs to do, lovebug. We’re always welcome to visit though.” Leanna jolts for joy and chants, “I wanna hang out with cousin RiRi! Where she at?!” Ramonda chimes in, “I’ll take you to her, she’s in her lab! Give mommy and daddy some time alone, eh?”

Erik leads me to the west wing of the palace where the Dora placed my bags at the door, “This is your room Y/N. Leanna, N’Juma, and I are gonna be on the other side of the palace.” “Okay, so are we gonna be separate the entire time?” He shushes me, “Damn, woman! No. But You did say you needed time to yourself. I’m giving you that! Tomorrow is Valentines day, I got a few things lined up for us to do with the kids and I got something special for you.. Just let me, okay?”

I open the door to my suite, my back to him I rebut, “Let’s just see how the day goes with the kids. Then I’ll tell you if I’ll let you or not.”

With that, I roll my belongings in with me and shut the door. Retiring to the room for the remainder of the evening.

I spent the ladder part of the night prior completing the brief reviews I had left before my huge blowup. I fell asleep after I completed my last one. It’s eerily quiet on this side of the palace. Yet, I am grateful for it. I woke up around seven AM with the strangest crook in my neck. I wince in agony, holding my neck where the source of pain resides. Shit! I must have slept wrong. I guess I can try to ease the pain with a hot bath. I plug my phone up to my beats pill and turn on my r&b playlist. Apple sure knows how to channel my mood because This Way by Khalid and H.E.R. begins playing, channeling all of yesterday’s energy into my morning.

You say I'm trippin', bullshit You're the one to make me do shit You're the one to make me feel it The feeling of stupid I was in your corner When you were putting me through shit Now you wanna leave No, you leaving me was foolish

I sink lower the more my comfy bath as the song continues, my mind flashes back to N’jadaka’s abrubt return back home..

“You’re sorry as fuck. You let half a fucking year go by! You haven’t seen or heard from me. Let alone your daughter and son. You missed Leanna’s birthday! You’ve missed so fucking much with not even so much as a bullshit filled excuse as to why!”

Yeah, all of these excuses Say I'm the one that made you ruthless Well you're the reason I'm crazy And with you, I feel useless I let you have it You took me for granted Always wanna play the victim When they don't know the truth is...

You left me this scar on my heart When I'd never take it that far (oh) Why would you say that it was true love If true love is absolute, what more can I say?

My Kimoyo beads go off on my left wrist, I answer it. N’jadaka is on the other end, “Good morning baby.” “Good morning ‘Ja, how are you?” “He releases a heavy sigh, “Our kids are a handful, ma. N’Juma is still on west coast time so he’s sleep now. But he was up until the past hour. Leanna is a total diva. She doesn’t wanna get up, at all!” Poor Erik. He looks so defeated. He only got a night compared to my one hundred eighty-some odd nights of that. “Bribe her with breakfast ‘Ja. JuJu can only be sleep for the next hour or else you’ll have a repeat of last night so you may wanna get her breakfast like, ten minutes ago.” Something flies by his face when he shakes Leanna to wake her up, “Lil girl did you--Get up Leanna! It’s time for breakfast!”

“What’s the plan for today Stevens?” He goes away from the camera view, you hear him tell your eldest child to brush her teeth and wash her face before he comes back, “We’re gonna take the kids to meet W’kabi, Okoye, and the boarder tribe so they can see the rhinos, then we’ll make the trip up to Jabari land so they can play in the sn--” he looks in what I assumed to be where his bathroom was located to see if Leanna was being nosey. I guess the answer was yes because he spells out the next word, “S-N-O-W.”

They’ve never been in the snow with us living in California and all, so it’s really thoughtful that he wants the kids to have that experience in Wakanda. I just hope he takes my advice or we’ll be in for a long and trying day. “Sounds good ba..” The words of adornment almost slips through my teeth, his eyebrows hit the top of his forehead waiting for the rest of the word to drop, “--Sounds good N’jadaka. The kids should enjoy it. I’ll be out for breakfast in a bit.”

I stumble through the corridors in my robe and slippers, searching for the dining room. I feel like I’m walking in circles at this point. I hadn’t bumped into anyone and I haven’t seen anything resembling a kitchen or a dining room. I finally found some stairs so I descend to what looks like a foyer next to two huge ass doors, then I hear my daughter yelling, “Where’s mommy? You said she was gonna be down here!” I follow the bossy little voice to the dining room, “I’m sorry LeeLee. Mommy got lost in here it’s so big!” Ramonda and Shuri laugh, “Sorry cousin, I told N’jadaka I should’ve retrieved you.” Speak of the Devil, he comes into the area with a large plate of pancakes in one hand, and a pitcher of OJ in the other, “And I told you she would find her way. How you doing baby?”

I cradle my neck again, “I’m good, except for my neck. I think I slept wrong last night.” N’jadaka huffs, “You slept sitting up, working?” My eyes squint as I purse my lips, “Yes--” I mouth, ‘smartass’, then continue, “I did.” He leaves that where it is as Leanna goes on to talk about her lab time with Shuri, “We’re syncing her gloves to surge an--E--M--P?” She looks over at Shuri for agreement of her termenology, Shuri nods, “Yes, LeeLee. Which stands for?” Leanna looks up, deep in her thoughts, then she snaps, “Eeee--Electromagnetic Pulse.” My four year old is truly on her way to becoming a genius. I’m so proud, “Look at my little scientist!” Leanna glows at the praise, “Baba says I can help with cousin RiRi’s project at home at the center, right?” N’jadaka pops a strawberry in his mouth and nods at his baby girl’s query, “Absolutely. I just got the news, T’challa will offically name me as the director of the Oakland Wakandan Outreach Center before we leave. I start work the week after next.”

Ramonda embraces her nephew and congratulates him. Their relationship had come a long way since he left Wakanda seven years ago. They resented one another. She disliked him because of his quarrel with T’challa, he disliked the entire side of the family that neglected him after his Uncle killed his father, and she wasn’t excluded. Now, he’s closer with her than he is with T’challa or Shuri. She’s like a surrogate mother to him that he needs in his life to keep him balanced. He’s become a better man since reconciling his differences with her. “Congratulations N’jadaka. I’m happy for you.” He turns his attention to me, “I’m happy for us. This is what we’ve wanted since we’ve gotten married. It’s taken me longer than expected..but now I’m able to be closer to our family.” I look down, poking my fork at my piece of watermelon, “Yeah, you are.”

Part Two is dropping later tonight. Stay tuned!!!

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uzumaki-rebellion · 6 years

Text

Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 2 Chapter 10

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"I was like a satellite spinning away

Almost lost forever and leaving no trace

Floating through the darkest reaches of space

To another galaxy

Our polarity shifted around

There is nothing left holding us down

But it's just gravitational

We are unstoppable

I just can't escape the pull…"

Lianne La Havas – "Unstoppable"

Being away from Califia was always tough on N'Jobu. But being away from her and Erik was brutal. His return to Wakanda for his annual check-in had him jumpy and in a constant state of worry. Califia could hold it down, and James was around now, so he had a source of comfort. He gave James a few bucks to watch the townhouse while he was away and to not let Califia know he was doing it. Things were getting tough in the Bay area. Drugs, murders, and unemployment were on the rise, and as hard as Califia worked to help young people avoid the dangers, she was just a drop of water in an ocean of ills. Now she had their son to watch over too and it kept N'Jobu on edge while he was away.

Dante was a big help in watching over his family, but he had his own struggles. Budget cuts had made him one of many looking for work. His having a criminal background made it difficult to find steady employment and he was down in the dumps. N'Jobu asked him to look in from time to time on his grandson and daughter. He made sure to leave some money on a weekly basis in Dante's bank account to keep him floating. Times were tough. Everywhere.

Soliel and Negra Li were informing them of the struggles in Sao Paulo, and with the new fascist and right-wing elements rising around the globe, Serah was even worried about staying in Europe with Addae. Rolita was busy trying to stop pipelines and toxic waste being dumped onto indigenous lands in the States. She was a new mother herself and her people were uniting with other Native tribes to push back on the government. Native murders at the hands of the police had risen, and as quiet as it was kept, the numbers were outpacing Black Americans. Rolita was busy publicizing murdered and missing Native women too from the States up through Canada. Califia and her women friends were deep in the trenches with no end to their work in sight.

This was bothering N'Jobu the longer he stayed in the States.

His brother's edict was for War Dogs to infiltrate, observe, report, and not interfere. But it seemed to N'Jobu that many of the problems in Black communities could easily be solved if Wakanda took a more active role in influencing the communities they were spying on. Small covert actions that could change the course for many struggling communities without showing their hand. His own son had to navigate these roads in the future. N'Jobu wanted to make sure there was safe passage for him.

But T'Chaka would not hear of it. He was interested in subterfuge only if it benefited Wakanda. Wakanda only.

N'Jobu sat eating breakfast with his mother and father on the balcony of the sunroom. Umama prattled on about T'Challa's first day of school and all the new and exciting things the boy had done while N'Jobu was away. It was difficult to sit there with his parents and listen to them talk up his nephew when he was bursting to tell them about his own son. How Erik was adjusting to his new teeth, how his language skills were that of a much older child, how Califia was teaching him several languages at once, how he was already learning basic capoeira and ulwa moves. He had finally stopped biting people he didn't like. Now Erik just glared when he encountered unpleasant people. But he was also very affectionate. When he knew people, he loved people and would constantly give out kisses. They had to stop him from kissing the neighbor's cats and dogs though.

It hurt. Deep down in his soul.

He wanted to show his parents pictures and videos that he had taken just for them. The time wasn't right. Maybe two more years. Two more years and he would bring Califia and Erik to the palace. Carry his son into the throne room and announce his name to everyone. N'Jadaka. Son of Prince N'Jobu and Califia. He would marry Califia in front of everyone and lay claim to what belonged to his son.

Until then, he sat with lackluster energy picking at his breakfast and pretending to listen to all of T'Challa's exploits. It was a burden and he carried it the best he could.

When breakfast was over, he made his way to T'Chaka's military room for a new debriefing with other War Dogs from ninety countries and over two hundred cities.

Entering the silver and gray room filled with warriors and elite soldiers, N'Jobu chose to sit in a spot furthest away from his brother. He felt constricted wearing his military uniform. Oaktown had spoiled him with regular clothes and a life that fulfilled him. It was difficult coming home and wearing the mask of a soldier/Prince.

The amphitheater seating filled up quickly. Some of the council elders were present. N'Jobu was surprised to see Gcuma sitting near T'Chaka. He was under the impression that Gcuma was leaving the military.

The meeting started with news footage of incidents detrimental to Wakanda's autonomy. Niganda was putting more pressure on the U.N. to look into their land claims. A Senator in Virginia was questioning Wakanda's relationship with countries considered problematic to the States. This same Senator had the relative rising in San Francisco politics that N'Jobu was keeping tabs on.

The London War Dog, D'Beke, code name Alton Desmond, stood before them all and relayed his misgivings about Parliament in London.

"We need more War Dogs infiltrating politics, your highness. We should also take direct action—"

"That we shall not do," T'Chaka said.

D'Beke glanced N'Jobu's way. They had commiserated the night before together about bringing up direct action. N'Jobu felt it best that D'Beke bring it up openly so that T'Chaka wouldn't think he was forcing his brother's hand. Coming from someone else may clear the way for open honest talks. It was a no go, and N'Jobu caught his brother glaring at him after D'Beke sat down.

Sita, a War Dog in the Netherlands asked for permission to speak. She had trained with N'Jobu when he first went into the military. She was a hell of a pilot and not enamored of royalty. Her father was part of a group that years before questioned the viability of Wakanda still being a monarchy. They were still pushing to reform the government into something new and not so antiquated and elitist.

"Your Highness, are you even open to discussing direct action?"

N'Jobu, (and he was sure D'Beke did too) waited with bated breath for T'Chaka to respond.

"No," T'Chaka said.

Sita just stared at the King then sat down. Now N'Jobu knew for sure there were other War Dogs out there besides him and D'Beke wanting to do more out in the world.

When the meeting ended two hours later, T'Chaka summoned N'Jobu to his private quarters.

N'Jobu paced the front room of T'Chaka's quarters waiting for his brother to arrive. He checked his kimoyo beads for messages from Califia. She sent him new pictures of Erik eating ice cream with his great-grandmother Nana Jean and Grandpa Dante. She also sent one of her in their bathtub taking a bubble bath with Erik, his braids covered in thick soap suds. They were both smiling at each other, and in that shot, Erik looked more like her with his cheeks puffed up and their noses touching. He missed them terribly and it darkened his mood being in his brother's quarters having to follow orders. He just wanted to get back to his family. Hold his woman and child. Cook dinner for them. Tuck his son in bed. Make love to his wife. He felt out of orbit being in Wakanda. It felt less like home and more like a prison. He couldn't be himself.

T'Chaka entered and N'Jobu saw his Doras stage themselves outside his door. N'Jobu sent Yejide and Ometeko away from the quarters. They awaited him elsewhere. He knew he'd want to go drink or go for a drive after seeing his brother.

"Baby Brother," T'Chaka said pointing to a sofa for N'Joba to sit.

N'Jobu waited for his brother to get to it.

"I see you are influencing others with your need to not follow protocol," T'Chaka said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Influence?"

"I know you and D'Beke have spoken about direct action. Having him bring it up does not hide the fact that he was speaking your words. And Sita—"

"He is his own man—"

"—her family has always wanted to end our reign and our legacy. How you could sit there and let her voice your opinion… that is going against our family—"

"Stop. Just stop, T'Chaka. I am not the only one out there who sees what is going on. We are in a position of power to make great and lasting changes out in the world—"

"I am not King of the world. I am King of Wakanda. My concern and allegiance are to Wakanda and the Udaku family. Wait until Baba gets word that Sita is parroting your thoughts and—"

"I have not spoken to Sita. She is speaking her own words. So is D'Beke. Why are you so against the idea of direct action?"

"World problems are not our problems. Your job is to spy. Collect information and relay it. Nothing more. Do I need to replace you in Oakland?"

The hairs on N'Jobu's neck rose.

"No."

"Then do your job and keep your mouth shut. You War Dogs are just pieces on the chess board that I am running. I move you. You do not move me."

N'Jobu bit his tongue.

"Yes, your Highness," he said bowing to his brother. He wanted to be out of the room and away from T'Chaka. He didn't need this bullshit. But he didn't want to lose his family.

"If I hear any more word about this and it stems from you, I will take you out of that place and haul you before the Council. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

"There should be no schism between us. You are a soldier and a War Dog, but you are also from this House. You will hold your tongue. Any words that come from your mouth will be from me and only me. There are vipers among us who would delight in seeing our House go asunder. We are one blade, N'Jobu. Not two."

T'Chaka's eyes were bold and threatening. N'Jobu puffed up his chest and tried to deflect by making his voice sound nonchalant.

"Let us dine together this evening. It would be nice for us to have some time together away from our responsibilities," N'Jobu said.

It was the last thing N'Jobu wanted to do. His desire was to be in his quarters alone and face chat with Califia while she ate and fed their son, catching up on their day, looking at their faces. Hearing his baby boy's laughter. But he had to smooth things over. Get T'Chaka's thoughts away from bringing him home forever.

T'Chaka's eyes searched deep into N'Jobu's. Perhaps he didn't want to do that—

"I would like that. It has been a long time since we have hung together as brothers. Forgive me N'Jobu. I forget to make time for us as a family so often. You know how it is, duty first."

"I understand."

"I hope you do."

"Uncle N'Jobu!"

N'Jobu turned and saw his nephew wearing his school uniform, dark blues and silver. His hair was in neat twists.

"T'Challa!" N'Jobu said opening his arms wide as his nephew ran to him. N'Jobu lifted him up.

"I did not get to see you yesterday, Uncle."

"I know. I apologize. Shall we have lunch together tomorrow, just you and I in the garden?"

"Yes!"

N'Jobu put T'Challa down and watched his nephew go to his father's side.

"See you at dinner," N'Jobu said.

"You are dining with us, Uncle?"

"Yes."

T'Challa's face lit up and N'Jobu felt his heart grow warm. T'Challa was a sweet boy and T'Chaka was holding up his responsibilities as a doting father. So was N'Jobu.

"See you both tonight," N'Jobu said taking his leave.

Walking towards the elevator that would take him to his suite, N'Jobu ran into his mother coming from the family library.

"My Son," she said holding out her hand to him. N'Jobu took her hand and followed her into her private study.

"Where is Baba?"

"Visiting with some Council Elders. Sit."

N'Jobu sat near her and his mother kept his hand in hers.

"I miss you," she said.

"I miss you too, Umama."

"Why do you stay there?"

N'Jobu found himself caught off guard.

"N'Jobu…how much longer must you be a War Dog? What are you trying to prove?"

His mother's eyes were wet like she had been crying before she ran into him.

"Umama," he said touching her face.

"You should be home with us. You should be an Ambassador. Do you know they are considering Gcuma for that position?"

"No."

She was weeping openly and N'Jobu felt his spirit sinking.

"Umama…"

"I want you to come home—"

"I can not do that now. I love what I do—"

"But we need you here—"

"I cannot leave Oakland now—"

His mother's lips trembled and she wiped her eyes. He wanted so much to tell her everything. Lay it all out there. But all he could do was weep with her and lay his head on her lap. She stroked his scalp and he felt like he was five-years-old again. He wept for himself and Califia and his son Erik. He bawled like his heart would fall out of his chest.

"N'Jobu. What is it?" she asked lifting his chin up with her hand. She could see there was something more in his eyes. He felt the confession on the tip of his tongue. He saw Califia's face with Erik's. Just say it. Tell Umama. Release the secret.

"Umama, it is hard being so far away from my family."

The words were for his wife and son. He let his mother think otherwise. She could still comfort him even if she didn't know the truth.

"As long as you are happy where you are, my Son, I will support you. But I wish you were here. When you become a father one day, you will understand what I am saying….ah, my Son…go ahead…let it out."

N'Jobu buried his face in the folds of her skirt. He would take her words and surround himself in her love. It was all he could do for now.

He fell asleep on his mother's lap. He awoke to her sometime later with her still stroking the back of his head. She appeared to sense something was not right with him, but she soothed him as best she could.

Before he left for dinner with T'Chaka and T'Challa, he reached out to Zinzi. He needed her warmth and friendship to prop himself back up.

Califia cooked herself and Erik butternut squash soup for dinner. She found that reducing her intake of meat, wine, and excess dairy helped her lose weight. N'Jobu didn't want her to lose too much, he was happy with her bigger size, but she wanted to get into fighting shape again. Since N'Jobu loved her no matter what size she was, there was no pressure to lose anything fast, so her gradual weight loss coincided with her return to intense capoeira training. The pounds dropped naturally. She was coming to terms with discovering a new center of gravity for her body.

Her favorite part of teaching at the studio now was watching Erik try to copy her moves. The boy was good. Teaching him early was her goal. Something else she noticed about him: he loved to dance. She could play a song and her boy could keep on beat naturally. His eyes watched her every move when she worked with her martial arts students, but when she started offering dance classes, jazz and hip-hop in particular, Erik was behind her mimicking her steps. He would have her dying with laughter when she turned around after demonstrating a dance combination and he would be bouncing and clapping his hands. The shocking thing was the boy was really good. His arms would be up and his legs would follow the beat, but it was his facial expressions that would have the classes falling out. He was feeling the music. When it really got good to him, he would call out, "Mommy! Mommy!" and she would stop to watch him, encouraging his movement and often joining him.

Tonight she was playing James Brown's Live at the Apollo Volume Three while she cooked, keeping it on loop because her little man was cutting up. They both grooved to the classic 1968 sound, and when her computer lit up with a face chat call from N'Jobu, she happily turned on the screen, James Brown still hollering in the background. It was early in the morning for her man.

"Babe!" she said blowing him a kiss.

N'Jobu's smile was wide as he watched her shimmying as she stirred their soup and put it on simmer.

"Hey!" he said watching her. She was wearing a thin body-hugging t-shirt and short-shorts, so she knew he was peeping her hard, as she intended. It was the little things she did to keep reminding him that he needed to get his ass back to her.

"Where's my boy?"

"Erik," she said looking over at him bouncing on his legs to the music next to her. She moved the computer so that the screen revealed Erik. James Brown was yelling, "Power to the people!" and Erik was rocking it out, his little hips swiveling in his huggy diapers.

"Get it, baby!" Califia called to her son. N'Jobu started laughing and they both cracked up when Erik started copying James Brown by saying, "Beep, beep," in a call and response moment.

"Soul Power!" Califia sang out.

"So Powah!" Erik responded.

"Put up your fist, Erik. Do it for Mommy."

Erik watched Califia hold up her fist and he followed suit.

"That's a soldier right there!" Califia said bending her legs and taking a hold of Erik's hand and swaying with him. She lifted him up on her hip and danced around singing, "Ain't it good to ya?"

The song morphed into Hot Pants and Califia wiggled her ass in her shorts making sure N'Jobu could see her cheeks bouncing to the Godfather of Soul.

"You guys are killing me!" N'Jobu said.

Califia covered Erik's eyes and made her ass clap in front of the computer.

"Aye, put him to bed real quick, I need to show you something," N'Jobu joked.

"Hold on a minute," Califia said. She walked into the living room and turned down the music. She carried Erik back into the kitchen and put him in his high seat. She put soup in his kiddie bowl and let it cool while she scooped a big bowl for herself. She moved the computer to the kitchen table and sat next to Erik.

"How are things?" she said blowing on a spoonful of soup before feeding it to Erik.

"Tough."

Califia stared at his face and finally noticed something was off.

"Is that all?"

"I want to come back to you, that's all. It's rough being here."

She scrutinized his face even more.

"Did something happen?"

"No…no…nothing serious. Just the usual boring stuff. I'm ready to come home."

She smiled whenever he said that.

"Baba!" Erik called out waving to N'Jobu.

"Baba will be home soon. I miss you," N'Jobu said.

Erik leaned forward, his lips puckered and his hands stretched forward.

"Hold on," Califia said picking up the laptop and bringing it towards Erik's face. She watched Erik lean closer and give the screen a kiss as N'Jobu did the same.

"You want to give Baba another kiss?" Califia asked.

"You Mommy!" Erik said pushing her face towards the screen. She pressed her lips on the image of N'Jobu wishing she really was smooching her man. Even though he was gone for only thirty days, her stomach still felt uneasy when he was away. Her body never failed to miss him in their bed. She found herself crawling up the walls without him and her adult toys did nothing for her anymore when he was gone. Even now, hearing the sound of his voice and seeing his face made her feel hot and bothered. She could see it on his face too by the way he was looking at her. If Erik were asleep, she would be upstairs in their bed naked, showing N'Jobu all that he was missing, and her man would be doing the same as they did when they were in college. Her legs would be spread wide open for him and he would be sharing himself on the screen too.

She put the laptop back on the table and continued feeding Erik. N'Jobu stayed quiet just watching them, listening to her talk to Erik using different words and encouraging him to answer her back.

"Baba…Baba…" Erik said moving his head around trying to look at the laptop.

"C'mon, let's finish this first," Califia said.

Erik wouldn't be still and Califia turned to look at N'Jobu, wondering what was distracting the boy.

N'Jobu's eyes were watery, and he tried to fix his face but it was too late, Califia saw the sadness there.

"Babe, what is it?" she said. Putting the spoon down, she focused all her attention on N'Jobu.

"I miss you, that's all—"

"It's more than that. Talk to me."

"I was told to fall in line and not rock the boat or else I would be removed from my duties."

Califia's face turned wooden.

"Removed…taken away from us?"

She tried to hide the panic in her voice. But he heard it.

"I'm not going to do anything to agitate my brother or cause him to do that. Don't worry. It just shook me up a bit when he threatened me with it."

"How are you rocking the boat?"

"I think there are things that my country could be doing and my brother disagrees. And since he is the King…he makes the rules."

She knew the stubborn streak in N'Jobu was strong. He liked having his way, but she knew nothing of their monarchy other than what he told her. King T'Chaka seemed like a hand in fist ruler capable of anything, especially if was sending spies into the world.

"N'Jobu…please…don't do anything—"

"I won't, don't think about anything like that—"

"-just do what you have to do to get back here."

"I will."

She tried her best to appear calm and collected. When Erik began turning his mouth away, she knew he was finished with the soup, so she wiped his lips and chin clean and moved him onto her lap to rock him. He reached up for her chest and she was surprised because it had been several days since he sought out her milk. She thought he was finally done with her.

She gave him her nipple and N'Jobu watched her feed Erik more until the boy was nodding off to sleep.

"He cries when he doesn't see you in the morning," she said.

"Just a few more days…"

"I know, but he still checks the bedroom sometimes to see if you are there. He sleeps in the bed with me waiting for you at night."

"Are you waiting for me at night too?"

"Always."

"When it was just you, I could deal with this check-in. But with Erik…"

"I know."

She watched his face for a moment.

"What?" he asked.

"How long are you going to have James checking on me?"

"How did you find out?"

She smirked.

"I caught him sitting in his car when I was taking out the trash. I don't think he was expecting me to walk up on him."

"He's good people and he's doing me a favor."

"I understand. But Daddy is around and so is Junie."

"He wants to do it."

"I won't stop him."

She rubbed Erik's side. He had his right hand still holding the swelling of her breast and his mouth was still loosely on her nipple even as he slept.

"I better take him upstairs—"

"Just wait…a few more minutes. Let me just look at him…and you."

She reached up to pull Erik away from her breast to fix her bra and shirt.

"Don't. Please…leave him be," he said.

She stayed put and stroked the back of Erik's head.

"You give me peace when I see you with him like this," he said.

She saw N'Jobu breathe deeply. His eyes fell upon Erik and she saw something go across his face, some type of inner turmoil, and then it passed. His eyes went back to hers.

"It'll be okay," she reassured him, but she only said that to try and convince herself.

He wiped his eyes and sat back from the screen.

"Until I see you again," he said and blew her a kiss.

He was taking a chance meeting D'Beke in Birnan Azzaria.

The two men took cover inside an out of the way bistro near the border of Canaan and Azania. No one recognized N'Jobu when he went in, and he suspected that no one would say anything anyway. Azzarians tended to mind their business. Out of the Wakandan citizenry, Azzarians were closer in kind to the Jabari tribe, tolerating the hierarchy and its history, but creating their own unique way of living. It was a city that was geared toward pleasure and stimulating the senses.

The bistro was semi-full, but is was still early in the evening and N'Jobu enjoyed a platter of fried calamari and yam fritters. He sipped a thick beer flavored with pears as D'Beke tucked into yellow rice and baked chicken.

Birnan Azzaria was far enough away not to cause T'Chaka suspicion. N'Jobu made sure his brother caught him packing away condoms in an overnight bag when he left the palace. If it looked like he was roaming the city for women and fun with his military buddies, T'Chaka would ignore him. He just needed to remember to get rid of the prophylactics before he returned to Oakland or else Califia would have his head.

"Would he really take you out of Oakland?" D'Beke asked.

"Yes."

"Then he would not hesitate to remove me from London."

"Have you been speaking with Sita?"

"No. She has her own agenda. I was surprised she spoke up at the debriefing."

"We should continue our work, but hold off on doing anything right now—"

"But things will get worse—"

"They will, but I cannot take a chance at this time. We shall wait, and when the King and Council have softened, when the world comes knocking on our door, then we will come forward."

D'Beke swallowed a large gulp of his beer.

"I will follow your lead your Highness. But it grows uglier in London and France…Germany…the runoff will hit our borders one day soon."

"How well do you know Sita?"

"Well enough. She is bull-headed. Rumored to have lovers up and down the western borders. One up in the Jabari mountains too—"

"Really? Passionate people…"

"She is a passionate woman. Did you know she is the great-great-granddaughter of Tunji the Rebel?"

"Yes."

"It is ironic that she would serve the King and your family when her own family wants to abolish the monarchy."

"Every family has their own rebel I suppose."

D'Beke gave N'Jobu a sly look. He ignored it.

"We will cool our communications for a time, D'Beke."

"As you wish."

"I will not meet with you here next year."

"Understood."

N'Jobu paid for his drink and meal, slipped on dark glasses, and left D'Beke seated inside the Bistro. He checked his kimoyo beads and summoned his Doras to retrieve him at another location. Yejide and Ometeko were faithful to him, but he could not take a chance that they could be used to entrap him with D'Beke. He quickly walked through a street bazaar and made his way through several open café patios before he went inside a boutique hotel and waited in a crowded lobby.

Within fifteen minutes he saw a palace cruiser pull up in front of the Hotel. He jogged out and hopped in the backseat, Yejide drove and Ometeko rode shotgun.

"The palace," he said settling back in his seat for the long drive back to Birnan Zana. The golden city didn't feel so golden to him anymore.

Califia thought she would hear from N'Jobu before he came home. But his last three days in Wakanda were a silent terror for her. Her calls and face chat messages went unanswered. He was supposed to arrive that Sunday evening and she almost lost her mind with worry when he finally called her from North Carolina. He would arrive in Oakland as scheduled.

Her father was visiting and she had hoped that Erik could stay awake so she could take him to the airport with her, but he was in a dead sleep and she didn't want to wake him so her father stayed at the townhouse so she could pick up N'Jobu alone.

She was circling airport parking when N'Jobu sent her a four-word text, "Be ready for me."

She felt her stomach flutter. He was hungry for her. Those words were his code. Her clit was already thumping in her panties. The last three days had been stressful not hearing from him. She needed sweet relief from his touch. But his words in the text let her know he was going to be selfish. He wasn't going to cater to her needs, at least not in that initial joining together of their bodies. He was going to take. There would be no giving on his part. She felt her face getting flush already. She would have to figure out a way to get her father out of the townhouse fast when they got back. Erik would have to sleep in his room tonight no matter how much he missed his father. Baba wanted Mommy bad.

She parked his Blazer and checked her lipstick and eyeliner in the rearview mirror. Her eyes looked so bright and eager. She slipped her hand under her skirt. The crotch of her panties was already soaked through. She could feel the outline of her clit poking out and when she touched it, she moaned inside the car. Goddamn, that man. She thought about masturbating and having an orgasm right there, but N'Jobu would know what she had done. His four-word message had subtext. She was not to cum in any manner until he allowed her. His needs were to be satisfied first.

She let her index finger circle her clit, her stickiness drenched the tip of her finger. She found herself whimpering as she touched herself.

"Jobu," she gritted through her teeth, so tempted to plunge her greedy fingers deep inside her sopping folds. She saw his lips and his nose and his eyes and his hands in her mind and her hips started gyrating in the driver seat. Just one. One little orgasm. What could that hurt?

Her cell phone lit up. "Heading to baggage claims."

She jumped out of his car and ran to the airport entrance before she got herself in trouble.

Chapter 11 HERE.

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