A Blast From The Past

No other album has had more influence over my thought process than Goodie MOB's 1995 debut album SOUL FOOD. Their crew brethren Outkast would go on to become the most popular duo in rap history but the Goodie MOB remain the heart of Atlanta. And, Ceelo Green was the heart of the Goodie MOB. He is now an internationally renowned superstar and frontman for the multi-platinum duo Gnarls Barkley alongside producer, Danger Mouse. But in 1995, his straight from the pulpit lyrics, consciously black soliloquies and choir solo choruses made SOUL FOOD my first real cherished piece of art. It was the the first full length CD I ever bought and I played it every single day. This is a selection from the song "Fighting." After his fellow group members have all finished verses of violent storytelling, the beat drops and Ceelo chimes in with a message to his community with the crickets chirping in the background. About this time last year, me and my patna Lorne LaBrie were going over this album track for track shocked out how timeless this 15 year old album is and astonished at how most do not know about Ceelo Green's greatest contribution to date.

As individuals and as a people we are at war

But the majority of my side got they eyes open wide

But still don't recognize what we fighting fo

I guess that's what I'm writing for to try to shed some light

But we been in the darkness for so long, don't know right from wrong

Y'all scared to come near it, you ignore the voice

In your head when you hear it

The enemy is after yo' spirit but you think it's all in yo' mind

You'll find a lot of the reason we behind

Is because the system is designed to keep our third eyes blind

But not blind in the sense that our other two eyes can't see

You just end up investing quality time in places you don't even need to be

We don't even know who we are, but the answer ain't far

Matter of fact its right up under our nose

But the system taught us to keep that book closed

See the reason why he gotta lie and deceive is so

That we won't act accordingly

To get the blessings we suppose to receive

Yeah it's true, Uncle Sam wants you to be a devil too

See, he's jealous because his skin is a curse but what's worse

is if I put it in a verse y'all listen to some bullshit first

We ain't natural born killas, we are a spiritual people

God's chosen few

Think about the slave trade when they had boats with

Thousands of us on board

And we still was praising the Lord now you ready to die

Over a coat, a necklace round your throat, that's bullshit

Black people ya'll better realize, we losin, you better fight and die

If you got to get yo' spirit and mind back and we got to do it together

Goodie Mob means, "The Good Die Mostly Over Bullshit"

You take away one "O" and it will let you know

"God is Every Man of Blackness"

The Lord has spoken thru me and the G-Mo-B!

Ceelo Green, an excerpt from the song "Figthing" off of the Goodie M.O.B. debut album, SOUL FOOD

Diary of a Mad Grad Student

My first few weeks as a graduate student at St. John’s were exciting and frightening all at once. The combined anxiety of relocating to a new city, “the City,” alone, finding a living space and becoming acclimated with a new learning environment presented significant challenges. However I have come to regard challenges as opportunities in disguise. My fear was not unfounded but warranted. This is a new life and there will be growing pains. But with those pains come a whole lot of joy.

I was apprehensive about bringing my concerns to my Introduction to the Profession professor, Dr. Steve Mentz. In my preparation for graduate school, I had been forewarned of the delicate balance of cooperation and competition that exists at the graduate level. I did not want to seem fearful or anxious when, as I initially thought, most of my fellow scholars seemed so confident in their understanding of the material and comfortable in this environment.

Dr. Mentz acknowledged my worry as natural. This is in no way an easy transition. He also encouraged me to share my experiences and studies with himself and my fellow scholars. He stressed the importance of me writing as a way to channel my worries in a way that is positive and productive. Dr. Mentz also took the time to engage me in discussion about my research interest and offer valuable suggestions as to how to begin my prospectus and dissertation research. I particularly appreciated this gesture.

My research interest leans toward Modernist/Post-Modernist African American writers of the post-WWII period namely Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin. In my previous study of these writers, opposition to the black writer’s perspective from the gatekeepers of literary criticism is a constant discussion topic. Quite simply, the gatekeepers considered black literature inferior to the traditional Western canon and Western aesthetic. Through their hard work and courage these authors and others fused the Western literary tradition with the current of blues and jazz rhetoric to create a new tradition altogether American in nature. Their work is my love.

Initially, I was hesitant to share my interests. At my last institution, a historically black college, there was a natural feeling of pride in all things black. I realize that at this university my focus will be broader. Dr. Mentz advised me to widen the scope of my readings while at the same time focusing on tightening my particular research, perhaps comparing the black authors to French existentialist writers of the same time period.

In our short conversation as well as in seminar, Dr. Mentz brought to light the issue of balancing the labor and joy of study. I need to incorporate a sense of fun into this experience and I have to admit in the first few weeks I did not. I love to read and I love to learn. There is nothing I want to do more for the rest of my life than associate and collaborate with teachers and learners. Perhaps, through the challenges, never forgetting why I am here will serve as motivation to push forward.

October 11, 2011