Blought #26: Why Did Trump Meet With Black Pastors Anyway?

Trump (Center) accompanied by Dr. Darrell Scott (right) Courtesy of: USAToday.com

 A few days ago Donald Trump shook up the media and news world when he announced that he had gained the support of 100 Black pastors and religious leaders from all over the country. Not long after that the facts became clear. Only about 50 or so pastors showed up to his meeting at Trump Towers with several of them signing endorsement cards for Trump‘s campaign.

What caught my attention was the fact that two pastors from Ohio were in attendance and here’s why. Ohio is usually a battleground state. Dividing the black vote has become a key strategy for the right wing with gerrymandering. Dr. Darrell Scott of New Spirit Revival Center Ministries Inc. based in Cleveland Heights, Oh was vocal in his support of Trump’s campaign.

He even made several phone calls to Senior Pastor Corletta J. Vaughn of Holy Ghost Cathedral in Detroit to get her on board. Pastor Vaughn declined stating that she felt “uncomfortable” with the meeting at Trump Towers. She said she would be open to meeting with Trump but on her own terms probably in her church so that the presidential candidate can hear her community’s concerns.

Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple in Baltimore tweeted "Prostitutes for Trump...don't let black pulpit become a pole". Pastor Scott responded with "If Trump called Black Preachers ‘Prostitutes on a Pole’, the entire nation would be in an uproar! #BlackPreachersMatter" and "For respectable Preachers to be called ‘Prostitutes on a pole’ is very insulting, demeaning, and misogynistic, to say the least." The divide and conquer rule definitely applies here.

Promotional flier for Trump's meeting

Bishop Victor Couzens of Forrest Park, Ohio near Cincinnati also attended the event. He voiced his concern for an apology towards his Black Lives Matter comments and incident at his rally where protester and activist Mercutio Southall was attacked and beaten. Trump stood by his earlier comments and said that he would not issue an apology.

Personally I don’t think Trump owes him an apology. Would you show up to a KKK meeting in a Black Panther uniform? I didn’t think so. Why go to a rival hood and cause disruption? It was sad that he was assaulted but Mr. Southall could have made better judgment.

On Tuesday Roland Martin host of  TV One’s News One Now spoke to Steve Parson PhD and former pastor of the Richmond Christian Center in Richmond, VA. Parson who is a supporter of Trump was on the show to discuss Trump’s plan for the black community. He talked in circles about the tax code until Martin hit him with the facts.

Martin, who recalled on his time as a city hall and county government reporter brought up the statistics that in 2008 black owned small businesses received 8.2% of all small business loans. By 2013 that number had dropped to 1.8% due to the foreclosure crisis that wiped out  53% of black wealth. Martin simply stated “no home, no loan, no collateral” as a cardinal rule of small business loans. Parson was never able to give Martin any straight answers on how a real estate mogul (Trump) couldn’t answer those questions himself.

Martin and Parson squaring off Courtesy of: RolandMartinReports.com

The main point to be taken away isn’t the fact that Trump’s camp spun a story about 100 black pastors meeting with him. It’s the fact that the Black Churches are not the go to leaders of the black community. Black millennials like most millennials don’t cling to faith and religion. Most of our parents are the same way, why do you think we feel the way that we feel?

It reminds me of the South Park episode “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson” where Stan’s dad Randy Marsh went onto the popular game show wheel of fortune. The clue was “People who complain too much.” The spots were N_GGERS. Randy hesitantly shouted “Niggers!” when the answer was actually “Naggers”.

Randy then had to go apologize to Reverend Jesse Jackson. Stan attempted to make peace with his friend and only black kid in School Token who responded with “Jesse Jackson isn’t the emperor of black people.” The same can be said about most religious leaders.

Let’s be honest, black pastors are always caught up in scandal about stealing money from the church. Steve Parson ran his ministry into bankruptcy and lost two luxury cars that he and his son leased with the church’s money. Trump is playing this game as smart as he can. With Rubio rising and Carson fading away it’s getting closer to do or die time for Trump.

Sources:
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/01/457930597/black-pastor-calls-trump-meeting-a-get-played-moment

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/22/politics/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-protester-confrontation/

http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2015/feb/26/pastor-gets-boot/

Brendan Whitt's 15 best Rapper-Actors

What separates a regular rapper from all other rappers? Film and television credits. As we get wrapped up in the personas of these rappers (e.g. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Diddy etc.) we have to remember that these guys and girls are entertainers. Look at the legends like Sammy Davis Jr. Dude sang, acted on screen and stage and he could dance. Now that’s an entertainer.

As Hip-Hop broke out onto the national scene as a new cultural movement, rappers began to be approached to star in films a television specials centered around this “new” culture. Some of the best actors of our generation started off as singers or rappers. Here is a list of my favorite rappers turned actors.

First here are my criteria for the list: 1. Must have a rapping credit befor an acting credit, 2. My personal opinion on cultural relevancy, 3. Only T.V., Film, Theater and Video Game credits count, 4. Individual success and critical acclaim.

WARNING: THE PICTURE QUALITY ISN'T THE BEST!

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Some of you may be thinking “What about Tupac?” While he was an exceptional talent Tupac had a theater credit at the age of 12 in a rendition of A Raisin In the Sun as Travis Younger. Having an acting credit before a music credit disqualifies you from the list. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) and Drake would have also made the list but they both had acting credits before their first musical releases.

Blought #21: The Beauty of the 'Surf'

In life some of the things we enjoy the most are the ones that are best aged. We all love trends because they're fun and in this day and age we can quickly share them with others. For me the music that I enjoy most is the music that stays with me for a long period of time. Now I didn't listen to Surf by Donnie Trumpet (Chicago trumpeter Nico Segal) & The Social Experiment right away. Music to me is best enjoyed when all of the hype has died down. When all of the biased critics can subside and the internet fan boys can latch onto the next release.

With Chance the Rapper's name attached to Surf I knew that the Jazz infused Indie\Hip-Hop album would attract a bunch of hype. Once Sunday Candy dropped It still felt like Surf was only Chance‘s project, but it was more than that. Phil Hebblethwaite of NME stated Surf sounds "infectious, light and upbeat, but never inane. It begs you to feel included, and wide-awake", and I completely agree. All of the instruments, arrangements and guest spots reassure you that this was something that everyone involved clearly enjoyed.

Here is my brief track by track analysis of Surf:

1. Miracle - The project’s opening track was very soft and angelic. The strings and keys are very light while Danny Trumpet hangs around in the background with his own tune. Chance appears later in the track with his usual poetic flow. Did the artists see Surf as a miracle that so many minds could come together and contribute to this project?
2. Slip Slide - The drums and trumpet give the feeling of watching a black high school or HBCU band play during half time. Busta Rhymes sounds like a band director preparing Chance and B.O.B. for their verses as they lead their sections around the field.
3. Warm Enough - The song is very laid back with a calm and soothing voice melodically asking “Who are you to say I’m not warm enough in the summertime, I know that I can decide myself…”. This was easily the best paring of artists on the entire project. Chance and Noname Gypsy ALWAYS compliment each other when they appear together. J. Cole, while not poetically doing so, aesthetically offers a deep perspective on love.
4. Nothing Came to Me - The first song with Trumpet appearing on his own, I immediately thought “This sounds like Ornette Coleman.” The beginning is very “ugly” as it smooths it’s self out towards the end. I imagined a sad and lonely trumpet looking for happiness.
5. Wanna Be Cool - This song was very light hearted and “pop-py”. The piano and Jeremih's back vocals for Chance are beautiful. Big Sean’s verse built on his previous work of the year (His highly successful Dark Sky Paradise). The song shuns “cool” and promotes happiness and acceptance of individuality. “I don’t wann be you\I just wanna be me. I don’t wanna be cool\I just wanna be me…”
6. Windows - Don’t like it, I have nothing to say…
7. Caretaker - A very short warm, romantic Neo-Soul melody.
8. Just Wait - Indie style Pop\Hip-Hop track. My personal favorite trumpet arrangement on the entire project. The beat is very high tempo. I got the feeling of an interlude ubtil Chance made his way onto the song. The sound bytes in the background offer a 70’s feel (Play that muthafuckin' horn!"). The message is simple in saying “Wait your turn, great things will come.”
9. Familiar - Wasn’t a good song vocally or lyrically. King Louie was useless and my favorite Migo Quavo, was terribly misplaced. The music was just meh…
10. SmthnthtIwnt (Something That I Want) - Aesthetically pointless and simple lyrics. The trumpet was phenomenal.
11. Go - Very fun and upbeat. Neo-Soul\Pop mix with Jessee Boykin lending vocals. In my opinion he was the best featured singer on the entire project. I loved the background strings as well.
12. Questions - Jamilia Woods melodically asks "why?" with her beautiful Neo-Soul voice before transitioning into a poetic and almost monotone singing voice. The music gives it an Indie-Pop feel. The song is fairly short but offers some of the best mixing and engineering on the project.
13. Something Came To Me - The lonely trumpet from Nothing Came To Me returns and this time he sounds happy. His happieness isn’t immediate but it is sufficient. He appears more versatile and skilled than he was before. I still feel like Ornette Coleman could have been the trumpet.
14. Memory - Chance’s second best poetic styled rap on the album. Typical Chance as usual with deep and insightful stanzas\lyrics. The background vocals sound like an old Outkast song. Towards the end Ms. Erykah Badu asks Chance about his day as he rests his head in her lap. “Young man you’re on your way”.
15. Sunday Candy - This song has plenty of Trumpet with short moments of Afro-Caribbean influenced percussion. This one sounds like an Indie\Hip-Hop ode to Gospel music. Anyone with a loving grandparent can appreciate this song. Chance tells us about his grandmother and how much she loves her family. She pays the blls and gives him his Sunday candy in church.
16. Pass the Vibes - Indie-Pop song about smoking weed and sharing thoughts with a groovy chick. The instrumentation is easy going with a simple drum pattern and some accompanying strings.

If you enjoy eclectic music I'd say expect this project to receive Grammy considerations in the Hip-Hop, Jazz and Urban Contemporary categories.

Sites Used:
http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/34461/donnie-trumpet-the-social-experiment-surf.html

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20664-surf/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/donnie-trumpet-and-the-social-experiment-surf-20150616

http://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/16149

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_(Donnie_Trumpet_%26_The_Social_Experiment_album)