Commentary

OPINION: When Trash Becomes Trash: Denunciation of rap, Part 2

A few years ago, Dr. Jeffries spoke at a conference on rap and hip-hop at Purdue University. He noted, “When rap and hip-hop came on the scene, the homicide rate skyrocketed. The language of rap suggests violence, the degrading of the self, and an absence of love. We need to elevate the aesthetics of hip-hop like it once was, to uplift the youth of the Black community.

Published

2 years ago

August 31, 2023

Oakland Post

Hip-hop needs to move from boys to men because we need that maturity, we need that accountability, we need leadership and inspiration from the young to improve as a community.

By Charles Blackwell
Special to The Post

Last week, The Post published Part 1 of a commentary on the effects of rap/hip-hop music on youth. Part 2 is below.

As one African American writer on C-Span said recently, “We no longer have music.”

We agree with that assessment. An agenda of cultural destruction, comprising illegal narcotics, gang violence, and the broadcast of rap (which in effect is violence) has been activated.

It has reached a point in our society where we can no longer separate one from the other.

The overuse of the N-word is dehumanizing, making it easier in one’s mind to kill one’s neighbor. One rap group’s message implies that cash rules everything around me except me! There is big cash for Black artists that want to call themselves “n—a” and call other Black people “n—a.”

Many white folks love that mess, and they pay big money to keep it going. This is self-destructive for Black people.

The use of the word “b—h” falls into the same category — to degrade a woman and create a person of worthlessness. It also creates hateful relationships between men and women. These antagonizing words continue to build poor self-esteem, self-hatred, and relationships based on sex without love.

Many of us are aware of producers, agents, and recording companies meeting behind closed doors designing destructive rap with the potential to destroy Black communities that parallel actions by city officials, real estate companies and politicians when they drew up plans to implement policies of restricted covenants which was actually, segregated housing.

Power brokers have collected artists, influencing them to sign their souls away and produce obscene, destructive material. Cha-ching! All of this falls in line with the government’s drug plan in Black communities which journalist Gary Webb presented during the 1990s. It was clearly an act of genocide, and so is this new rap.

The “blanger” or Black anger in rap continues to proliferate in the minds and emotions of our youth. It is, plain and simple, the glorification of our own self destruction. We are being crushed by white racism on the one hand and Black self-hate on the other.

We have so many issues facing us as a community that we really need all hands on deck. We need hip-hop to step up and help us address these issues and thus attempt to eradicate what we can.

We can party and still help our children improve their reading scores, right?

According to the National Assessment of Education Progress, 56% of Black 4th graders did not meet their reading benchmarks and 48% of our Black 8th graders did not meet their reading benchmarks.

Hip-hop needs to move from boys to men because we need that maturity, we need that accountability, we need leadership and inspiration from the young to improve as a community.

Rapping about killing other Black men, chopping them up and stuffing them in the trunk of your car is an extreme form of self-hatred.

America will consume your internalized racism ‘til the fat lady sings, “until the trees and seas just up and fly away, until the day that eight times eight times eight is four” (Stevie Wonder). Why help them in our own destruction?

It is time for us, if we intend to exist as a people, to take a stand against this destructive disease. We must stop our children from being a part of it, get churches to speak out against it, and not allow it to be presented at community events.

At this point in time, we who stand on the shoulders of our ancestors are not here to debate the right to free speech.

Rather, we are here to push for the continued existence of Black people instead of our calculated annihilation. We must be that man in the mirror and take a pause for the cause and check ourselves before we continue and continue and continue wrecking ourselves.

Make it make sense.

Besides myself, this concerned community includes: Warren Goodson, Artist North Carolina; Vincent Kobelt, poet writer, Sacramento; Safell Gardner, sculptor, Detroit; Stephen Monroe, poet/journalist, Washington D.C.; Arlene Goodson, poet, New York City; Alan Laird, artist/writer, Florida; Sylvester Guard, artist-poet, San Francisco; Bisola Marignay, poet writer, Oakland; Napoleon Henderson, artist with Afrocobra, Boston.

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OPINION: When Trash Becomes Trash: Denunciation of rap, Part 2

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

1 week ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.