That's precisely what is meant by our lack of culture. People worldwide not only cop what we do, but they help define it, manipulate it and control it as well. This has been going on for generations. This is what i meant in my earlier post about us being reactionary to whites. So much of black american culture came as result of constantly having to react to what we were and are allowed to do allowed to be etc...

When you have true culture, your identity is proactive... And also when you have a truly developed culture, not only is is not for sale, but it is defined by you and yours and passed down thru the generations accordingly.

I got a lot of friends from other cultures--jewish, isreali, japanese, german... no matter how much i may dig what they do, they make it clear that who they are and what they are belongs to them. if they choose to share it, fine. But otherwise step-off. Ain't no co-option of what they are... ain't no real mass marketing of their identity being done by folks outside their community.

That's culture. And that's what we as black americans and to a certain degree black folks in every country are lacking--a communal bond that belongs to us.

Hell, remember FUBU? They can't even really be called For Us By Us anymore given that they make their clothes for mainstream (non-black) consumers. I saw an interview with those cats trying to dance around that issue because they want that white dollar. they've had to change so much of their flavor that it's all milquetoast.

Hip & R&B's audience is 80% white and non-black. has been since the early 90s. The retailers, labels, radio stations, etc. are almost exclusively black-owned. When you have white marketers and manufacturers making product and images to reach white consumers, as a black person there's no way in hell you can say you have a culture.

now when you have your own culture and control your own culture, you don't do that kinda stuff.

Do you?
"So what kind of power have
you got as a man, if the very
way you define yourself comes
from outside your
environment, your domain,
your soul?

--Kevin Powell