Although Common’s marriage to the game has birthed seven albums during a career more than twice as long, his latest offering does not in the least reflect an itch that might suggest that his lyrical commitment to H.E.R. is on the rocks. In fact, Common continues to utilize his vocal husk to penetrate a ghetto matrix that is as lovingly supportive of those who make it out, as it is a harbinger for soul murder, where dream deferment rivals breathing and Starbucks get more priority than public housing. Meanwhile, the poor and the colored slap box with absurdity under an ever-expanding cloud of urban impossibility where the idea of light at the end of the tunnel is a crude joke.

Yet survival is a precondition for the hued and the aggrieved whose humanity is forever on a chopping block screaming to be realized, recognized, and dignified at whatever the cost. Guiding the listener through this urban macabre is where Common has always been at his best, blessing the mic with a poetic economy and attention to detail that has vaulted him into that mighty fraternity of the rappers rapper. What better way to describe Hip-Hop’s verbal power than to tell us “that lyrics are like liquor for the fallen soldier, from the bounce to the ounce, its all our culture” or reminding us of urban desperation with the memorable “the karma of the streets is needs and takes, sometimes we find peace in beats and breaks” on the title track “The People.” To the casual listener this might appear to be convenient word play, but to the discerning Hiphoppa, “liquor” serves as both an intoxicant and an elixir, while “bounce to the ounce” signifies the Roger Troutman funk jam of the same name, it also suggest that the “bounce” (the sound of the culture) and “the ounce” (the social dead end of the drug game) are all part of the complex cultural fabric of the hoods’ for which it sprang. Though common knowledge, it’s Common’s poetic juxtaposition and ability to smoothly crash words into new meaning that makes his insights so aesthetically fulfilling.

Sonically, Common plays it safe and attempts to capitalize on the mainstream success of Be by maintaining Kanye behind the boards and enlisting a select few to assist in the musical landscape. One wonders if this was his choice, the labels, or both. Without question, Finding Forever could have been enhanced by more sonic exploration, but love, hope, hurt, fear, myopia, and resilience remain critical themes of poetic engagement for “Chi-town’s Nas.” In his previous effort Common urged us to Be, but in his latest tome he asks us to be the presence that is eternal—to find forever. To my mind they are one in the same, beautiful indeed.

–Review by Fanon Che Wilkins, Ph.D. for SoulGen.com

Perhaps the most persistent irony in Hip-Hop is that being dope does not always translate into fame and fortune. Conversely, being wack does not necessarily guarantee a four-digit income. But what is for certain is that respect will always enable soul wrenching poetry and unfettered creativity to ascend above the mediocre and formulaic in route to becoming a beacon of hope for desperate souls scouring the viberesphere for something they can feel. These were the sensibilities that made Little Brother’s The Listening (2003) and The Minstrel Show (2005) such welcome additions to the game.

Two years later, the L-Bees, minus super-producer 9th Wonder and a major label deal with Atlantic Records, are back in the indie-world and Phonte and Rapper Pooh sound as fresh as ever. Out of the gate, the Illmind produced “Sirens” packs enough punch to make Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, and Americas favorite Dad—Bill Cosby rethink their respectability plan to quell the nigga talk and “uplift” the hood. Pooh sets the tone with an intelligence that Al Sharpton (and now Russell Simmons) surely wouldn’t endorse. He opines:

they talk about us not using the word nigga, I wanna speak about a couple issues much bigga, like most Black folks live below the poverty line and they wonder why the fuck we are attracted to crime, we got niggas shootin’ niggas at the drop of a dime, babies in the streets dyin’ way before they time many single parent mothers packin’ welfare lines, and niggas being dumbass, the apocalypse is on us, niggas take onus, that’s all I ever asked and got pegged as a hata’, now they tryin’ to take niggas out with the fada’, started with three two six see you lata’, back independent cuz the kids I wouldn’t cata’, go against the system you in bed with Al-Quaeda, dog they ain’t playin,’ look here their going to war with more than Rap, this are mafuckin’ lives now it’s time to fight back!

Now for all of you Hip-Hoppas out there struggling to defend who you are and what you love, Phonte provides ammo for your next debate:

…they tryin’ to blame this Rap shit for all of our ills, like I can stick you up with a mic, like I could rape you with a verse or use a verb as a knife, like before Kool Herc everything was alright, like I wasn’t callin’ Black women hoes before Rappers Delight, shit that’s just idiot talk, this whole shit is a farce, I refuse to be Hip-Hop’s pallbearer, had to tell my son cut that bullshit off, them ain’t videos nigga’ that’ psychological warfare, twenty different variations of the same face, designed to keep yo broke ass in the same place, something else more, yo it’s got to be, because I’m in transition cuz they watchin’ me..

So now that the civil righters have been chin checked and the stakes of the game have been carefully delineated, Phonte and Pooh invite listeners to witness their growth and maturity as young men grappling with the same challenges that confront ordinary dudes searching for purpose and meaning in life. With gut busting humor (now a L-Bee trademark), the duo celebrate the everyday desires to dress well with “Good Clothes,” and gets assistance from the ubiquitous Yung Weezy (Lil’ Wayne) on the only 9th Wonder produced track, “Breaking My Heart.”

Although 9th plays the side, fellow Justus Leaguer Khrysis gets behind the boards on “After The Party” and expertly melds atonal shrieks and hums over an alternating bass and snare to create an end of the night feel that everybody can relate to. Jersey’s Illmind of Beat Society fame produced the bulk of the album, but the L-Bees employed the services of hit makers Hi-Tek and Nottz on “Step It Up” and “Two-Step Blues” respectively. In the tradition of Nas’s “Bridging the Gap,” the L-Bees bring to life, with the assistance of hometown crooner Darien Brockington and Nottz’s up-tempo arrangement, an evening at the Elk’s Lodge where young and old two step their blues away in a tradition that would make Bessie Smith proud and Ma Rainey show her black bottom. Here we see the L-Bee’s plea for intergenerational unity on full display.

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Little Brother’s previous work was their amazing ability to create great albums that were well sequenced and contained a unity of feeling. This has become a lost art in the Itunes-era. Many believed (including this author) that much of this craftsmanship would be lost with the departure of 9th Wonder from behind the boards, but I was pleasantly surprised to realize that this simply was not the case. Like their big brothers before them–Tribe, De La, Public Enemy, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth—they allow the album to tell a story about disappointment, perseverance, maturity, redemption, and just plain old having fun—something we all need from time to time. Get the Get Back and get in for the ride.

1. “Sirens”

2. “Good Clothes”

By Jon Hurdle

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Thousands of black men gathered on Sunday to launch a campaign to cut murders in Philadelphia, which suffers the highest homicide rate among big U.S. cities.

Organizers of the drive to put at least 10,000 volunteers on the streets said preliminary indications were that they met their target, and would in the next 30 days be able to send patrols into trouble spots to deter crime.

Volunteers will be unarmed and have no powers of arrest but will be trained in conflict resolution and mentoring in a city where 85 percent of homicide victims are young black men.

Backers, including Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and record industry boss Kenny Gamble, say the initiative has a better chance of succeeding than earlier anti-violence campaigns because it is broadly representative of the black community, and is not led by city government or the police, who are mistrusted in some inner-city areas.

It has been endorsed by more than 80 community groups, businesses, churches and government agencies, organizers say.

The homicide rate, which rose to a nine-year high of 406 in 2006, has defied repeated appeals by police and civic and community leaders, and has led national media to dub Philadelphia “Killadelphia” instead of its official title, the City of Brotherly Love.

In a two-hour rally at a Temple University auditorium, black leaders urged men to take responsibility for their communities and their families, and to stop blaming others for a history of economic underachievement.

“Slavery, at this late time, is no longer an acceptable excuse,” said A. Bruce Cawley, a prominent black businessman. He said that in the 325 years since blacks have lived in Philadelphia, they had been overtaken in prosperity by immigrant Irish, Jews, Italians, and now Asians and Hispanics.

“And where are we? We are sitting on the sidelines,” Cawley said.

Johnson, whose department has been criticized for failing to curb the homicide epidemic, said police cannot be blamed for its root causes such as poverty, unemployment, poor education, and weak gun control. “Traditional policing is not working,” he said.

Chandlan Crawford, 38, a forklift truck driver from southwest Philadelphia, said he had already volunteered to join a street patrol, and was optimistic that the estimated 8,500 who attended Sunday’s rally would generate more support. “The people that are here will take the message out there,” he said.

Gamble, the chairman of the campaign, described the homicide epidemic as “a war” that can only be won by overcoming what he said was the “ignorance” and “self-hatred” that affect some black men.

“There are no more excuses,” Gamble said. “We need a code of conduct and a standard of behavior that will outline what’s right and what’s wrong in our community. We as black men have to be able to enforce it.”

© Reuters2007 All rights reserved

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The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world’s oceans has reduced, scientists have said.

University of East Anglia researchers gauged CO2 absorption through more than 90,000 measurements from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments.

Results of their 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.

Scientists believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas.

Researchers said the findings, published in a paper for the Journal of Geophysical Research, were surprising and worrying because there were grounds for believing that, in time, the ocean might become saturated with our emissions.

‘Saturated’ ocean

BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin said: “The researchers don’t know if the change is due to climate change or to natural variations.

“But they say it is a tremendous surprise and very worrying because there were grounds for believing that in time the ocean might become ’saturated’ with our emissions - unable to soak up any more.”

He said that would “leave all our emissions to warm the atmosphere”.

Of all the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, only half of it stays there; the rest goes into carbon sinks.

There are two major natural carbon sinks: the oceans and the land “biosphere”. They are equivalent in size, each absorbing a quarter of all CO2 emissions.

© BBC MMVII

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LOS ANGELES - California will sue the Environmental Protection Agency next week in the state’s bid to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Saturday.

California will file a lawsuit against the EPA demanding the right to set its own limits on vehicle emissions that are stricter than national standards, spokesman Aaron McLear said.

California, which has become a leader on environmental issues in the United States, passed a state law in 2005 that would require new vehicles to meet progressively tighter standards for greenhouse gas emissions starting with 2009 models.

But the state needs a waiver from the federal government to implement the law and says it has run out of patience awaiting it. Schwarzenegger set an Oct. 22 deadline six months ago for a decision and threatened to sue if the EPA failed to act by then.

“It is almost two years since we asked for this waiver. The governor feels we have been patient enough. He has met with the EPA administrator and with the president on this and has sent letters to them both. We have done everything we can and now it is time for action,” McLear said.

The EPA said earlier this month it expected to make a decision on California’s request by the end of 2007.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said repeatedly that the US government is moving too slowly on climate change issues and that states like California must lead the way.

US automakers are fighting California’s plans in the courts. In a separate case, a US federal judge last month threw out a California lawsuit that had sought for the first time to hold vehicle manufacturers responsible for damages caused by climate-changing greenhouse gases.

Last year, California passed the most far-reaching greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the United States, saying it would cut global warming gases to 1990 levels by 2020 — or by 25 percent from current levels.

© Reuters News Service 2007

Underground MC Sprung from the Spoken-Word Scene

When I approached Ethel Cee about being featured in this Music Issue, her emotions went from shock to excitement to a chilled, relaxed vibe. “Cool,” she decided finally. “I don’t feel I did anything paper-worthy before.”

Let’s see, this year alone she’s opened up for Sean Kuti, Little Brother, Rah Digga and recently recorded a segment for Bahamadia’s upcoming DVD.

Paper-worthy? I’d say so.

Before getting into who Ethel Cee is, you’ll first need to know who she’s not. Being a black female MC in the underground automatically makes her stand out, but she doesn’t make that the foundation of her music.

“I don’t get caught up in all that, really. I understand how important it is, but it is not a crutch. I can’t be the face of black female MCs everywhere, or even the face of hip-hop. When I go onstage I need to represent myself,” she says.

Her peers know her as one of the hardest-working MCs in Philly. Originally from Mount Airy and now living in West Philly, Ethel Cee saw her career blossom when she became a regular at the Painted Bride’s spoken-word and slam nights. This was around 2001, when the thriving Philly neo-soul scene was led by names like Jill Scott and Ursula Rucker. Cee befriended another MC named Nikkie, and together they formed the duo, Versus, who mixed rap, singing and spoken word to spit out political and social issues.
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“I didn’t know who I was back then, really,” she laughs. “Once I joined Versus, it all started moving pretty fast.” Later she became part of the Squadzilla collective, who performed and promoted projects together. Currently she’s building her name as a solo artist and one-third of the Nuthouse crew with established artists Dave Ghetto and Fel Sweetenberg. “In Nuthouse, I can still concentrate on Ethel Cee while also doing projects with Dave and Fel,” she says. “Both have a natural swagger about them that translates so easily and clearly onto a track. … They push me to be better than I already am.”

After all these creative transitions, Cee came to realize hip-hop could be a permanent outlet of expression for the rest of her life. “Those were all positive stepping stones for me. Being around all those people taught me the importance of writing and rehearsing. They helped me to become a seasoned MC,” she says. “The girl who is Ethel Cee has independence and a completely different confidence that wasn’t there before — it’s empowering.”

While she performs frequently, and can be heard on various mix tapes, it’s her solo album, due out spring 2008, that will officially introduce Ethel Cee to the masses. Her lyrics are a reflection of her life, experiences and travels, so she’s taking her time making sure it truly represents her. “I’m not just going to put out anything to have something out there,” she says. The as-yet-untitled CD will include production by C-Rock from Diverse Soundscapes. There’s talk of getting DJ Skipmode from Ill Vibe Collective involved, too. Everything else is still being worked out, or she’s just keeping hush-hush about it.

Taking risks is her priority. For example, the beats she chooses to rhyme over aren’t strictly hip-hop; there’s also break beat, house and electronic. Her flow tends to lean on the smooth side (credit that spoken-word background), but on some rhymes she gets aggressive. “I tend to write better when I’m angry. It would be a gross misrepresentation if you heard the same thing from me all the time. I decided when I went solo that if this is something that I’m going to do for a long time then I have to challenge myself and do something that is going to keep my attention. It’s important for the crowd to be enthralled in what I do, but it’s more important for me to be enthralled in what I do.”

She runs down her roster of performances and hosting duties for the next three months and it made me tired just listening. With a smirk, she says, “I’m not here just because I’m cute.”

Courtesy of Deesha Dyer, Philadelphia City Paper

By DEVLIN BARRETT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers denounced federal authorities Tuesday for not intervening in the Jena Six case, citing racist noose-hanging incidents far beyond the small Louisiana town where a school attack garnered national attention.

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing with federal officials and community activists examining the case of the six black teenagers charged with the beating of a white student. The incident happened after nooses were hung from a tree on a high school campus there — a symbol of the lynching violence of the segregation era.

Democratic lawmakers, many of them black, blasted federal authorities for staying out of the local prosecutor’s case against the six, particularly that of Mychal Bell, who is currently in jail after a judge decided he violated the terms of his probation for a previous conviction.

“Shame on you,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said to Justice Department officials, directing most of her fury at Donald Washington, the U.S. attorney for Louisiana’s western district — and the first black person to hold that position.

“As a parent, I’m on the verge of tears,” Jackson Lee said.

“Why didn’t you intervene?” she asked repeatedly, raising her voice and jabbing her finger in the air as some in the audience began to applaud.

Committee chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., called for quiet before Washington spoke.

“I was also offended, I too am an African-American,” Washington told the panel. “I did intervene, I did engage the district attorney. At the end of the day, there are only certain things that the United States attorney can do.”

Following that exchange, Conyers pointed out he had invited the local district attorney, Reed Walters, to testify, but he declined. At that, some in the audience yelled out, “subpoena him!”

Since the Jena case made headlines, there have been a number of other nooses found in high-profile incidents around the country — in a black Coast Guard cadet’s bag, on a Maryland college campus, and, last week, on the office door of a black professor at Columbia University in New York.

The Department of Justice has created a task force to handle noose-hanging investigations in five states. It investigated the Jena matter but decided not to prosecute because the federal government typically does not bring hate crimes charges against juveniles, Washington said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York-based civil rights activist, said there was unfairness in a criminal justice system that declined to charge white students for a hate crime because they are minors, but initially chose to charge the six teens in the beating case as adults.

“These nooses were hung over a year ago sir. So I know that the wheels of justice turn slow, but they seem to be at a standstill,” said Sharpton. “That’s why we’re seeing nooses all over America.”

The senior Republican on the panel, Lamar Smith of Texas, said, “more than anything what we need is an effort to reduce racial tension… What we do not need is stoking racial resentment.”

According to a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday, 79 percent of blacks said the black teenagers in Jena were treated unfairly. Whites were more evenly divided, with 33 percent saying they were treated unfairly, 29 percent fairly and 38 percent saying they were unsure.

The survey, conducted Oct. 12-14, involved telephone interviews with 762 whites and 307 blacks. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the whites and plus or minus 5.5 percentage points for the blacks.

In an Associated Press-Ipsos poll taken late last month, nearly nine in 10 blacks said that blacks and other minorities cannot receive equal justice to whites under the nation’s justice system. Whites agreed, but by a much narrower 50 percent to 44 percent.

Last week, a judge sentenced Bell to 18 months in jail after determining he violated the terms of his probation for a previous conviction.

Racial tensions began rising in Jena in August 2006 after a black student sat under a tree known as a gathering spot for white students. Three white students later hung nooses from the tree. They were suspended by the school but not prosecuted.

Associated Press Writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.