"Come on, he can't do that on the album cover!"<BR>That's what I said yesterday, after meeting with Toshi, and a photographer and art director at the label. Just thinking of the okaycrucifixion it would invite gave me a headache, but here we go. I really want to get the no holds barred, full-on bomb, so bring it on okayplayers.<P>What do you think of a dreadlocked Toshi? Is it remotely possible for his hairstyle to be apolitical, to have no sociocultural meaning, to simply be a hairstyle? Can a Japanese person wearing dreads simply be making a fashion choice, like a Japanese person (or anyone else for that matter) dyeing their hair blond or pink? Is this cultural theft? Are you gonna say "he's trying too hard"? Is he betraying his heritage by adopting a different look? Does it just look bad?<P>Maybe you don't give an eff and I'm just being too paranoid.But I'm sure someone'll have something to say, so let's hear it.<P>By the way, Toshi's album will be released at the beginning of July.<P>Thanks.<P>Kaz<P><BR>

A mind is free, be free, feel free, do what you feel.<P><a href="http://uicradio.pages.uic.edu" target="_blank">http://uicradio.pages.uic.edu<;/a> ~Wed 8-10pm central<BR>~Underground Ambiance~ TUNE IN <P>It seems cats rather rest in peace instead of keeping it. ~Elzhi, from "These days"<P>This grown man ain't got no time to play with you Theresa didn't raise a fool, you tried to play me Glen Close now we can't be cool... ~OneBeLo, Binary Star<P>"If a broad ain't got a mind, a job, a crib, she's useless"---Common <P><BR>

Outerlimitz

Typical cats

If he can rock the dreads right go for it. I'm sure some people wont like it, but then again they probably wouldnt have bought Toshi's album in the first place.<P>oneLOVE.<P>OkayBoricua known as... Mil<P><BR>"I effin LOVE this song!"-Nikki (Asialove)<BR>"Thats my thing.... haa haa... put that bitch in QUOTES!"-Nikki (Asialove)<BR>"Nick and Rhome gang up on me on the threeway."-Steve<P>Rest In Peace Christopher Rios, aka Big Punisher.<P>"That's how the city be, everybody gettin they hustle on, Judge singin death penalty like it's his favorite fuckin song. Word is bond, takin my life you know they lovin it... God 'F' the government and it's fuckin capital punishment!"-Big Pun<P>"Get off your high horse, or die off like an extinction, Boricuas are like Mohicans, 'The Last of the Po'Ricans'"-Big Pun<BR>

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speak the wrong words man & u will get touched.
http://tinysong.com/ldpJ

Definitely black folks. when Madam C.J. Walker came out with her hair straightening stuff, there were folks who were QUITE upset because they felt that making a kinky head of hair straight is denying your blackness. <P>Long hair signalled hippiedom. Afros, the black power movement. While it is certain that there are many people who just wore these hairstyles cuz they thought they looked good (the afro perm...strange but true), there were also cultural implications, stances, and discrimination associated with HAIR. <P>"I am the FLY"- Car Wash<P>"a child is born/ with a heart of gold/ way of the world/ makes his heart turn cold" Earth, Wind, and Fire "That's the Way of the World" Thanks qtpi

If Toshi wants to do it for personal reasons, cool.<P>If it's a promo move, NOT.<P><P>

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hate to break this to you, but dreads aren't THAT uncommon among young folk in Japan. <P>I don't know the cat or anything, but dreads don't necessarily mean he's trying to be black.<P>One LOve,<BR>RastaPerm

with you that dreads are quite popular in Japan, but (jeez, this white dude with REALLY ratty-ass dreads just walked into the office as I typed that) I think that you can't remove locks from the socio-cultural-spiritual realm from which they come. It unnerves me to no end to see these white grunge kids rockin dreads, cuz I know some of them to be racist in their attitudes.<P>Anyway, I don't know what Toshi thinks of this, or why he has decided to lock his hair (I'd love to hear it from him, actually), but I know that it IS nothing more than a fad in Japan, and is quite removed from its context. I know heads are gonna be like, hair is hair. All hair can lock if just let free . . . but there is something both culturally and spiritually significant to locks, and to remove them from that significance (to turn them into a simple fashion) I find quite disrespectful. Now, I'm not saying that its flat-out mockery, but it does seem like a kind of cultural dislocation that doesn't sit well with me, especially in light of the history of how black people's hair has been made a mockery of since slavery. I just think we need to think about why this might be happening now, and in such an out-of-context and apolitical way.<P>love and respect,<BR>El Rey<P>"I prefer to speak of the impossible, because we already know too much about what is possible" Silvio Rodriguez<P>"If our profanity offends you, look around you and see how destructively society is profaning itself. It is the rape of the land, the pollution of the environment, the betrayal and suffering of the masses by corrupt government that is the real obscenity." - MOVE statement<P>FREE MUMIA!<BR>www.mumia.org<P>FREE THE MOVE 9!<P>FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!<P>FREE YOUR SELF!<BR>www.freeyourself.com<P>"Get free y'all, get free!" - Digable Planets<P>"Get Free" - The Artist<P>

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i've seen some crazy shit out of asian youth's hairstyles. i'm talking dreads, cornrows, etc. the most "hair-raising" thing i saw was an asian guy with a kobe bryant mini-fro. i have no idea how he doctored his hair to do it, but it was mind-boggling. <P>you better bring me some muthafuckin' cognac or i'll kill you -- supherb<P>words ought to be a little wild for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking -- john maynard keynes

>. . but there is something <BR>>both culturally and spiritually significant to <BR>>locks, and to remove them from <BR>>that significance (to turn them into <BR>>a simple fashion) I find quite <BR>>disrespectful.<P>In all honesty, the MAJORITY of black people with their hair dread-locked are totally going against the true "cultural and spiritual" significance of the hairstyle. Dreadlocks are Rastafarian in origin. So if you find it disrespectful for Toshi to have dreads, then you should find it EQUALLY disrespectful to see Erykah Badu, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Benet, or any other non-rastafarian black american wearing their hair this way.<P>The true letter-of-the-law mentality of your argument should be this: If you do not believe that Emperor Haile Selaise (sp) is the true lord and savior of the world, then it is sacrilegious for you to have your hair that way, be you black, white, japanese, or whatever.<P>So if it's acceptable for non-rastafarian black americans to wear dreads, it should be just as acceptable for Toshi to rock 'em.<P>Just don't go to Jamaica <img src="http://www.okayplayer.com/dcforum/Images/happy.gif"> (j/k)<P><BR>PEACE<P>Doug (The New Guy)<BR>"While you exist in a perpetual state of mediocrity, I be droppin these on ya dome"<P>"How I made it? You salivated over my calibrated, raps that validated my ghetto credibility" - Monch

Rastas are not the ones to invent locks, just the ones to "popularize' them (bring them to the sight of the mainstream). Locks have been around for as long as there have been Africans and other coily-haired peoples on the planet, and mean many different things to different people.<P>I guess, for me personally, its not so much that I don't like seeing non-Africans with locks, its more that I don't much like them being worn as a "trend" or a "fashion" by people trying to look "cool like a Rasta." I guess I just prefer them being rocked by people with a kind of ROOTS/naturalist consciousness (like Rastas, or Sahdus in North India, or MOVE people, etc.). But hey, that's just my opinion. If you wanna rock some ratty-ass, schtanky, blue dreads g'won with your bad self.<P>love and respect,<BR>El Rey<P>"I prefer to speak of the impossible, because we already know too much about what is possible" Silvio Rodriguez<P>"If our profanity offends you, look around you and see how destructively society is profaning itself. It is the rape of the land, the pollution of the environment, the betrayal and suffering of the masses by corrupt government that is the real obscenity." - MOVE statement<P>FREE MUMIA!<BR>www.mumia.org<P>FREE THE MOVE 9!<P>FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!<P>FREE YOUR SELF!<BR>www.freeyourself.com<P>"Get free y'all, get free!" - Digable Planets<P>"Get Free" - The Artist<P>

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Many people think dreds are specific to rasta culture when that's not true.

Let me start by saying that, the word you are using "dreads" was originally givin to the Africans by Europeans to Mock us. ie. "Your hair <BR>is dreadful". First off we need to educate ourselves and others and try not to perpetuate<BR>this kind of misinformation over a vehicle as vast as the internet. NewGuy, I have to correct<BR>you brother on your statement that the only people<BR>correct in wearing LOCS are Rastas. Locs are the<BR>original and most healthy way Africans and people of African decent can wear our hair. We as a <BR>people have been locking our hair since Egyptian<BR>times and even before. I am an Asante Priestess<BR>so I know a bit about this. In Ghana, the villagers know you are of Royal blood or in the <BR>priesthood by your LOCs. In this country at this time wearing LOCS is a Fad for some young brothers age 18-27, but it takes on a more powerful spiritual and cultural meaning for those of us who know that wearing LOCS is a representation of our heritage & our ancestors.<BR>To those of other races that loc there hair, they too are honoring OUR Ancestors whether they know and respect it or not. I hope that in the future<BR>not only young brothers will continue to embrace locking their hair, but that young sisters will finally let go of needing to represent some other<BR>culture by letting the weaves & perms go and becoming the Queens we are!!!<P>Sorry this turned out to be so long, but this struck a nerve in my heart.<P>Peace & Blessings<BR>Ashante<P><a href="http://members.aol.com/VOAfrica3/Homepage.html" target="_blank">http://members.aol.com/VOAfrica3/Homepage.html<;/a>"

<BR>>To those <BR>>of other races that loc there <BR>>hair, they too are honoring OUR <BR>>Ancestors whether they know and respect <BR>>it or not. <P>I kinda like the way you said this. The rest of your post was dope but this line stuck out for me. I guess this is what I was trying to get at when I said that people of other races/cultures wearing their hair locked would be more understandable to me if they were going about it with (ROOTS) consciousness. Yeah, I'm diggin on that.<P><BR>love and respect,<BR>El Rey<P>"I prefer to speak of the impossible, because we already know too much about what is possible" Silvio Rodriguez<P>"If our profanity offends you, look around you and see how destructively society is profaning itself. It is the rape of the land, the pollution of the environment, the betrayal and suffering of the masses by corrupt government that is the real obscenity." - MOVE statement<P>FREE MUMIA!<BR>www.mumia.org<P>FREE THE MOVE 9!<P>FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!<P>FREE YOUR SELF!<BR>www.freeyourself.com<P>"Get free y'all, get free!" - Digable Planets<P>"Get Free" - The Artist<P>

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Thank you. I'm glad you're feelin me on this one!!!<P>Peace & Blessings El_Rey<P>Akosua<BR>

people won't be they be honoring their own heirtage? Peace<P>Sometimes I don't even know how I'm gonna eat bout twenty dollars away from being on the street- Cee-Lo<P>

The offspring :-D

PSN & XBL: LOQuent

Because if/when the fad fades, its possible that some of the acceptance for kinky hair will remain. <P>See this is not just about wearing our hair naturally - many people who are labeled or accept the label "black" do not have kinky/nappy/course hair. There is a distinction made btwn "natural" sistas with the thin/looser curl pattern hair and those with the very thick/tightly coiled kind. That's why some of us celebrate Kelis' fro while rejecting others. During the 70s many black women wore afro wigs, not their own nappier variety. <P>I think this is about the acceptance of the blackest and nappiest among us - the original people - as having THE CAPACITY to be equally beautiful as their lighter or keener featured or kinkier haired counterpart. Its about moving away from being that everything associated with whiteness is closer to whiteness is better. Right now, that simply isn't true and I think a lot of the progress made during the 70s is being lost and we're slipping back to accepting/validating the color hierarchy. The glorification of mixed black & lightskinned latinas (notice how its never darkskinned latinas that get love) OVER blackskinned women is disturbing. Its not that those women shouldn't get love but something is wrong when the men are so fascinated with women that couldn't have been their mamas, yknow. Soon we'll be right back to having paper bag tests and hoping that if you can atleast have long flowing hair if you can't be light. The black community is full of beautiful sistas of every shade, but you wouldn't know it. <P>That Lox video "Ride or Die Chick" is a perfect example. Seems like the only time you see darkskinned women is in a HotBoys video or in the lowbudget ghetto types. The more money spent on the video/film, the less black looking the females become. Blackness of skin/nappiness of hair is becoming associated with aggressiveness, danger, masculinity, low morality, poverty, crime, etc.<P>There are studies showing that the lower down the economic scale you go the darker the people...even within the black community. <P>Hair & skin are extremely political.<P>Thanks for the wisdom in your posts. <P>Peace.

Peace, thats what Jabari Adisa told me too.<BR>The hair is the locks, the dread is the person.<BR>Peace.<P>DRE Allah allah@metalab.unc.edu<BR><a href="http://metalab.unc.edu/nge/physical" target="_blank">http://metalab.unc.edu/nge/physical<;/a><BR>Physical Science Productions

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Divine Ruler
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>heads are gonna be like, hair <BR>>is hair. All hair can <BR>>lock if just let free . <P>I don't think so...the Japanese people I do know have straight hair...when they just let it grow, it's gets long, it doesn't lock up like black hair...same goes for the white people I know...basically, people with straight hair are twisting their hair into locks, ain't nothing being "let free", it's a deliberate designing of a hairstyle.<P>The reason I don't have locks is b/c I consider them to have sociopolitical and spiritual value, although many wear them as a fad/trend (to be cut off when they threaten a job opportunity...ha).<P>We already went through the Toshi sociocultural debate. I'm through.<P>Spread love,<P>Spirit<BR><a href="http://amphibians.iuma.com" target="_blank">http://amphibians.iuma.com<;/a><BR>www.soul-sessions.com<BR>Hip-hop forever...power to the people<P>R.I.P. Filli (Amphibians)<P>"There will be no peace until God sits at the conference table" - Chi-Lites

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

I can understand people feeling the need to switch up hairstyles for fashion. Locks are not about fashion. Locks are a statement of one's spirituality and knowledge of self. There are definitely people who have locks and have no idea what is meant by "knowledge of self". People are going to do what they want in the end. I suppose it is understandable since people are trying to get as close to the culture as possible. Still doesn't make it right.<P>Peace

...rock my two japanese symbols without it being cultural theft. and without it being a fad (i've had them for ages now) then rock on.<P>let it mean something to you, don't give the h8rs too much credit, let the boo birds chirp, and sing your own song. (it's beggining to look alot like springtime...)<P>_______________________________________<BR><a href="http://www.h8r.com/diallo" target="_blank">http://www.h8r.com/diallo<;/a>

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http://at.yamomzcrib.com </3 http://yourmomisclubbin.com </3 http://hoesinthesameclothes.tumblr.com

I love hair. I love changing mine, coloring it, cutting it, adding to it, curling, overprocessing it, etc. I think as an artist, changing anything, hair, music, image, clothes, is part of being an artist.<P>For the most part, most black female artist's add hair that was imported from Japan and China into their own, so what's wrong with Toshi copping their style? If he does it out of respect and not mockery, ain't nothing wrong with that! Plus, he's Japanese, in America, he's a minority.<P>And like someone said, if you look at Japanese youth it has inner city African American written all over it! <P>BTW, I could care less what his hair looks like if his music is dope.<P>BLING! BLING!<P>I AM BLACK MUSIC <P>"Ima put a curse on you. Might as well cause honestly, don't want no one to have you but me....." Sleepy's Theme <P>"Now, who else wanna fuck with Hollywood Coles?"- Dre/Kast<P>"Guess I shoulda known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn't last." - Prince<P>"If trouble were money, I swear I'd be a millionaire" - Stokely/MintCondition<P>"The quickest way to fire's heart, is through her ears" - fire<P>"But, here I is slaving away for the man instead of entertaining the masses." - fire<P>"Bitch, tone this!" - Stress<P>

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who gonna check me boo?!

www.twitter.com/firefire100
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Man, i wouldn't have nann probs with it..<P>But, is he doing the dreads just for the cover, or will he keep them(or has he had them for a while)? <P>cause that would be WACK..temporary dreads for a week...yikes..<P>Much love,<BR>Kyle<P>"i always tell people that fame is nothing but a good publicist, while talent is a genuine article..." ~ PoZi<P>profound statement #1-<BR>"In school I used to doodle, now i daze I use my noodle" ~ Brother Question

much love,
Kyle

Detroit..Let's GO!!! May 12th Dilla Walk for Lupus...Belle Isle...

http://walk.lupusresearch.org/goto/blackeyedskeez

Even a Dollar can HELP..


http://www.myspace.com/jedikyle
http://www.detroitderbygirls.com/

sheeeit go head on!!!!!!<P><P><P><P><P><BR>THE SOULQUARIANS<BR>chewy (quest).....jan<BR>luke (d)........feb <BR>lando (jaydee)......feb<BR>cp30 (james poyser).....jan<BR>r2d2 (jazzy jeff)......jan<BR>hans (chaos)........jan<BR>anakin (lil mike)......feb<P>honorary members:<BR>kelo- soulacorn.......jan<BR>common- soulcies......march<BR>erykah- soulcies......feb<BR>zack- soulicorn.......feb<P>(AFTER SEEING MY PERFORMANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME, MY IDOL STEVE FERRONE EMAILED ME THIS LETTER.....)<P>Opening fill from "person to person". ....... $100.00<BR>Cute fill betwween hi hat, bass drum and snare ....... $1500.00<BR>Horn line from "Love Your Life" ..... $10,000.35<BR>Breakfast with Ferrone.... Gratis<P>The reason you are being charged for the horn line is that it was probably your idea to use it!<P>You da man! Great show! Really nice pocket! Call or e-mail sometime, and take care out there.<BR>818-***-****<P>God Bless,<P>Stephen Ferrone.<BR>

check the resume

organix-93
(from the ground up)-94
do you want more?!!???!-95
illadelph halflife-96
things fall apart-99
(the legendary)-99
the roots come alive-99
phrenology-2002
the tipping point-2004
(the roots present...) 2004
homegrown: the beginne

>(AFTER SEEING MY PERFORMANCE FOR THE FIRST <BR>>TIME, MY IDOL STEVE FERRONE EMAILED ME <BR>>THIS LETTER.....) <BR>>Opening fill from "person to person". ....... <BR>>$100.00 Cute fill betwween hi hat, <BR>>bass drum and snare ....... $1500.00 <BR>>Horn line from "Love Your Life" <BR>>..... $10,000.35 Breakfast with Ferrone.... Gratis <BR>><BR>>The reason you are being charged for <BR>>the horn line is that it <BR>>was probably your idea to use <BR>>it! <BR>>You da man! Great show! Really nice <BR>>pocket! Call or e-mail sometime, and <BR>>take care out there. 818-***-**** <BR>>God Bless, <BR>>Stephen Ferrone. <P>Quest? I am soooooooo jealous! Are you two gonna do a song or something? Maybe you could do Cloudy 2000......sigh.......<P><BR>BLING! BLING!<P>I AM BLACK MUSIC <P>Images from a Heart Shaped Mirror Cracked<P>I hear the rain/falling on my pain/like a memory/that ain't was to be/you know you loved me blind/then you left me cold/your heart you couldn't find/your love I couldn't hold/we wasn't meant to be/we wasn't meant to breed/i wasn't meant to love you/you wasn't meant to bleed/you got a mind of stone /a heart that's all your own/thought we was alike/but you're from planet sike/always running with your boys/i feel so annoyed/for you i've lost my pride/for you i've lost my joy/how bout the way i feel/how bout the way i fuck/how bout those many nights/when i gladly gave it up/i could have changed the sun/to the dark side of the moon/i could have moved a mountain/turned a million into two/i may have been to positive/i may have been to true/but i know i was too good/for wonderful holy you. - fire 5/24/99

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If toshi wants to sport the dreads, more power. Who am I (or who is anyone else for that matter) to make assumptions about someone on account of their damn hair??<P>I used to have some long, thick, tangled nats (not quite dreads) and people would constanly make assumptions about me because of it. I guess the bottom line, for me anyhow, is that people should just do as they feel and sport the hair that they chosse. Eff what anyone has to say about it!<P>Peace,<BR>Che<P>"i do not wish<BR>to lose my mind<BR>onlt to find my heart"- saul williams

For the most part...alot of the okayplayers here don't seem to have a problem with Toshi's 'do...brother who said that alot of Japanese youth are paying as much as $75 to get their hair dreaded is very right...We are often oblivious to the fact that Americans set the trends for the majority of other nations...we live in a consumerist society where what is pure and righteous is exploited and water-down...this is not a new concept, we all know this..and on that note...I'd like to leave a poem for all of you in okayland to digest...this was the poem that helped me take the pot at a recent poetry slam on campus here...<P>Inspired by Isangmahal- "One Love"<P>America has made a mockery of my race<BR>In a country where my skin <BR>Has never hesitated to make me feel displaced<BR>I watch the collage of fashionable ignorance...<P>Bindis worn on the foreheads of sisters<BR>whose skin pales in comparison to the colors <BR>of the culture from whence it came<BR>Mandarin collars seen wrapped around Western necks<BR>Demi Moore was not the first to explore<BR>white men's fetish with Chinadoll exoticism<BR>Sarongs, thongs, and tantalizing advertisements<BR>of instant spirituality in an incense stick<BR>Guaranteeing nirvana in 30 days or your money back<BR>Tai Chi and Tao te Ching self-help books<BR>Buddhism in a box for those do-it-yourselfers<BR>Sacrilegous Tibetan beads adorn the wrists of guys who..."like girls who wear Abercrombie & Fitch Chinese food IS THE SHIT!!!"<P>I need not walk too far before being bombarded with Kanji and Sanskrit<BR>T-shirts emblazoned with elaborate Chinese characters that read....'shirt'<BR>Tattoos pierce the delicate skin of women's ankles that read....'foot'<BR>And if you think the general public is sweatin' us<BR>Then the entertainment industry is sucking our dick!<BR>Repulsed as I flip through music videos<BR>Sisquo the "dragon"<BR>Prancing around Chinatown with not one Asian sister to be found!<BR>Foxy Brown playing into the one-drop rule of clever marketing schemes to capitalize on her slanted eyes<P>GET OFF IT!!<P>Because when my people no longer become lucrative<BR>We will still be living in oppression<BR>But my ancient kingdom lives<BR>My ancient kingdom lives<P>See, my culture runs deep<BR>Like still waters twisting and turning <BR>In a land where silence is a golden mine of knowledge<BR>Reaped by learning how to read the secrets of survival encoded in the floating intonations of a bamboo flute<BR>And the language of our history<BR>Pantomimed by divine dancers <BR>flying upon wings of fingertips<BR>We built colossal shrines to pay homage to the force that keeps our crops growing<BR>Spending lazy afternoons like The Roots<BR>Slithering down the River Mekong<BR>As temple gongs acknowledge the setting sun<BR>Stretching its fingers to illuminate gold-leafed statues...captured in an eternal pose<P>Confused and disturbed by these warrior images we use for protection<BR>You pass us off as a nation of civilized savages<BR>But must I remind you that in the feudal days of lords and ladies<BR>We bathed<BR>Rather than mask the stench of imperialism under layers of white powder<BR>We bathed <BR>in the waters of the Euphrates and the Nile<BR>And spoke in tongues borne from the womb of mother earth<BR>While you hide behind the mask of PC terms like "diversity" and "multiculturalism"<BR>Ingrain words like "resident alien" as a slick ploy to construct a mentality that I am a foreigner in a country that was stolen from my people<BR>And exploit my race to compensate for the lack of color your culture cannot provide<P>But my ancient kingdom lives...<BR>And you would not want to pee on the electric fence owned by half the world<BR>Yes, we are half the world!<BR>Exclaim my brothers and sisters of Isangmahal<BR>Isangmahal calls for insurrection through Art<BR>To dismantle the pyramid of social mobilization<BR>And replace it with the ancient intllectual circle called The Cipher<P>We thrive by passing kwum kit-food for thought<BR>This is how my ancient kingdom survives<BR>This is how my ancient kingdom lives<P>Ikalat muna- pass it around<P>This is how my ancient kingdom lives<BR>Ikalat muna- pass it around<P>My ancient kingdom lives<P>Ikalat muna kwum kit<BR>Pass the thought around...<P>-pax- <P><P><P><P>

That ish was F-I-E-R-C-E! Has that been put up on the Frrestyle board, cuz for shure it would get mad love. Dunno what to say (its still too early this morning), but that poem took the breath from me.<P>Sometimes there's a fine line between cultural appropriation and respect . . . sometimes not. I think we need to let Toshi speak on what locks mean to him.<P>love and respect,<BR>El Rey<P>"I prefer to speak of the impossible, because we already know too much about what is possible" Silvio Rodriguez<P>"If our profanity offends you, look around you and see how destructively society is profaning itself. It is the rape of the land, the pollution of the environment, the betrayal and suffering of the masses by corrupt government that is the real obscenity." - MOVE statement<P>FREE MUMIA!<BR>www.mumia.org<P>FREE THE MOVE 9!<P>FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!<P>FREE YOUR SELF!<BR>www.freeyourself.com<P>"Get free y'all, get free!" - Digable Planets<P>"Get Free" - The Artist<P>

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really

Didn't think about posting this on the freestyle board, but I will consider it...I guess I just thought this joint was pertinent to the discussion we're having about the line between cultural theft for the sake of fashion (read: capitalism) and paying homage to the influences of our environment that move us to do the things we do...but in any case, your words are accepted with utmost humility...<P>-pax-

>For the most part...alot of the okayplayers <BR>>here don't seem to have a <BR>>problem with Toshi's 'do...brother who said <BR>>that alot of Japanese youth are <BR>>paying as much as $75 to <BR>>get their hair dreaded is very <BR>>right...We are often oblivious to the <BR>>fact that Americans set the trends <BR>>for the majority of other nations...we <BR>>live in a consumerist society where <BR>>what is pure and righteous is <BR>>exploited and water-down...this is not a <BR>>new concept, we all know this..and <BR>>on that note...I'd like to leave <BR>>a poem for all of you <BR>>in okayland to digest...this was the <BR>>poem that helped me take the <BR>>pot at a recent poetry slam <BR>>on campus here... <BR>>Inspired by Isangmahal- "One Love" <BR>>America has made a mockery of my <BR>>race In a country where my <BR>>skin Has never hesitated to <BR>>make me feel displaced I watch <BR>>the collage of fashionable ignorance... <BR>>Bindis worn on the foreheads of sisters <BR>>whose skin pales in comparison to <BR>>the colors of the culture <BR>>from whence it came Mandarin collars <BR>>seen wrapped around Western necks Demi <BR>>Moore was not the first to <BR>>explore white men's fetish with Chinadoll <BR>>exoticism Sarongs, thongs, and tantalizing advertisements <BR>>of instant spirituality in an incense <BR>>stick Guaranteeing nirvana in 30 days <BR>>or your money back Tai Chi <BR>>and Tao te Ching self-help books <BR>>Buddhism in a box for those <BR>>do-it-yourselfers Sacrilegous Tibetan beads adorn the <BR>>wrists of guys who..."like girls who <BR>>wear Abercrombie & Fitch Chinese food <BR>>IS THE SHIT!!!" <BR>>I need not walk too far before <BR>>being bombarded with Kanji and Sanskrit <BR>>T-shirts emblazoned with elaborate Chinese characters <BR>>that read....'shirt' Tattoos pierce the delicate <BR>>skin of women's ankles that read....'foot' <BR>>And if you think the general <BR>>public is sweatin' us Then the <BR>>entertainment industry is sucking our dick! <BR>>Repulsed as I flip through music <BR>>videos Sisquo the "dragon" Prancing around <BR>>Chinatown with not one Asian sister <BR>>to be found! Foxy Brown playing <BR>>into the one-drop rule of clever <BR>>marketing schemes to capitalize on her <BR>>slanted eyes <BR>>GET OFF IT!! <BR>>Because when my people no longer become <BR>>lucrative We will still be living <BR>>in oppression But my ancient kingdom <BR>>lives My ancient kingdom lives <BR>>See, my culture runs deep Like still <BR>>waters twisting and turning In <BR>>a land where silence is a <BR>>golden mine of knowledge Reaped by <BR>>learning how to read the secrets <BR>>of survival encoded in the floating <BR>>intonations of a bamboo flute And <BR>>the language of our history Pantomimed <BR>>by divine dancers flying upon <BR>>wings of fingertips We built colossal <BR>>shrines to pay homage to the <BR>>force that keeps our crops growing <BR>>Spending lazy afternoons like The Roots <BR>>Slithering down the River Mekong As <BR>>temple gongs acknowledge the setting sun <BR>>Stretching its fingers to illuminate gold-leafed <BR>>statues...captured in an eternal pose <BR>>Confused and disturbed by these warrior images <BR>>we use for protection You pass <BR>>us off as a nation of <BR>>civilized savages But must I remind <BR>>you that in the feudal days <BR>>of lords and ladies We bathed <BR>>Rather than mask the stench of <BR>>imperialism under layers of white powder <BR>>We bathed in the waters <BR>>of the Euphrates and the Nile <BR>>And spoke in tongues borne from <BR>>the womb of mother earth While <BR>>you hide behind the mask of <BR>>PC terms like "diversity" and "multiculturalism" <BR>>Ingrain words like "resident alien" as <BR>>a slick ploy to construct a <BR>>mentality that I am a foreigner <BR>>in a country that was stolen <BR>>from my people And exploit my <BR>>race to compensate for the lack <BR>>of color your culture cannot provide <BR>><BR>>But my ancient kingdom lives... And you <BR>>would not want to pee on <BR>>the electric fence owned by half <BR>>the world Yes, we are half <BR>>the world! Exclaim my brothers and <BR>>sisters of Isangmahal Isangmahal calls for <BR>>insurrection through Art To dismantle the <BR>>pyramid of social mobilization And replace <BR>>it with the ancient intllectual circle <BR>>called The Cipher <BR>>We thrive by passing kwum kit-food for <BR>>thought This is how my ancient <BR>>kingdom survives This is how my <BR>>ancient kingdom lives <BR>>Ikalat muna- pass it around <BR>>This is how my ancient kingdom lives <BR>>Ikalat muna- pass it around <BR>>My ancient kingdom lives <BR>>Ikalat muna kwum kit Pass the thought <BR>>around... <BR>>-pax- <P><BR>

thanks for the tall props sister...means alot to me <P>-pax-<P>

I was not trying to comment on cultural theft for the sake of fasion. To be honest, I had not really thought about it in deapth, the way you have presented it. I simply believe that it is not warrented to judge anyone or make assumptions about their inner being on account of their hair style. Perhaps I am being naive and turning a blind eye to the social conotations you have presented. <P>It's a beautiful poem... you've given me something to think on.<P>Peace,<BR>Che<P>"i do not wish<BR>to lose my mind<BR>onlt to find my heart"- saul williams<P>"Everything you play reflects all your experiences."- John Coltrane<BR>

Toshi looks good with dreads... they're actually neat (clean) looking... unlike most of the people i see that start trying to get dreads (i.e. hippies and jonathan davis from korn)... if i would look good in dreads, i'd think about getting them... but i saw this dude with red dread locks once... and i decided that i'll stick with a simpler hairstyle..<P>props to the dreadlocked people of the world though!!!<P><BR>(((krutch)))(((2000)))<P>

BLING! BLING!<P>I AM BLACK MUSIC <P>"You Louisiana but I'm Texas Pete" - Miracle<P>"Don't be lonely, you're not the only one who's heart's been broken too" - Cameo<P>"I imagine my heart with you, see what imagination it can do." - EarthWind&Fire<P>"Thoughts of pretty you & me, erotic city come alive" - Prince<P>"You can't fade me!" - Ice Cube<P>"Don't let your mouth write a check your butt can't cash!" - My Mommy

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just readin' naa_tiv's poem makes me wish that there were more poetry readings going on here on my campus...makes me wanna read somethin..and it goes like this...<P>VOICES IN MY HEAD<BR>There are times when I hear voices.<BR>My mom yelling at my sister and me.<BR>Two years apart.<BR>"Bumaba kayo!!!"<BR>Downstairs.<BR>We stand at attention.<BR>Someone has done something.<P>Broken a dish.<BR>Bathroom not clean.<BR>"Who’s job is this?"<BR>We don’t know.<BR>Nobody knows.<BR>Trouble for everybody.<BR>The tsinelas comes out.<BR>We start to speak.<BR>The Pilipino flip-flop<BR>Has brought out an answer.<BR>It was me. I did it.<P>"Don’t you see that marumi pa?"<BR>I don’t know. Shrug. Cringe.<BR>The tsinelas retreats.<BR>Her face falls from anger to frustration.<BR>"Ewan ko ba, I give up."<BR>I freeze up, feeling the guilt of what I had done.<BR>A million apologies in my head.<P>Discipline wasn’t the only conversation.<BR>"I love you pani."<BR>I love you too Mom.<BR>I love you too Dad.<BR>"Our favorite first daughter."<BR>The only ‘first’ daughter.<BR>We are moved to tears.<BR>The truck backs away.<BR>I am alone.<P>The room stirs again.<BR>Another voice speaks.<BR>"Back in Agusan there was once this lady...un sama ni."<BR>Mommy. Our lola.<BR>Mom’s mom.<BR>Stories of manananggals.<BR>Aswangs.<BR>The jungle teems with ghosts.<BR>The past is in my blood.<BR>I am there. Sometimes.<BR>I hear it even now.<BR>Singing old songs. All the greatest hits.<BR>The bug light zaps a mosquito.<BR>The power goes out.<BR>I sit still. Eyes closed.<BR>Typing away. Remembering.<P>Apo’s house.<BR>Dad’s mom.<BR>Her kitchen bustles.<BR>Family congregation.<BR>"Do you want some more???"<BR>Speaking only Capampangan.<BR>No Apo, I don’t want any- oh well,<BR>Okay I’ll eat more.<BR>The food lands before I can resist.<BR>Pilipino food. The real kind.<BR>My stomach rumbles.<BR>I am alone.<BR>No time to cook now.<BR>It’s not the same.<P>My eyes are open now.<BR>I am here in my room.<BR>College girl.<BR>Daughter. Granddaughter.<BR>Generations.<BR>The past stays near me.<BR>Like whispers in the night.<BR>Unleash them through me during the day,<BR>As the voices in my head continue to speak.<P><P>___________________________<BR>got soy milk?<BR><a href="http://surf.to/parchmentpaper" target="_blank">http://surf.to/parchmentpaper<;/a><BR>"uggh..nananana...turn that sh*t off!"

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*touched by the images you made*<BR> Thanks for sharing<P>Sugah<BR>The Erotic Blossom<P>*convulsing from the possiblities of dopenss* - IllWill<P>Danophonic: " Oh, you're Sugah and he must be the coffee.... Can I be the cream?" 1/16/00 <img src="http://www.okayplayer.com/dcforum/Images/happy.gif"> <BR>"..got U open wide, listen to the vybe." - Zhane<P>" My website has a first name its O-K-A-Y-P, my website has a second name its L-A-Y-E-R, OH I love to visit everyday, and if you ask me why I'll saaaaaaay, OKAYPLAYER makes my day with O-K-A-Y-F-A-M! - Sugah ((Hugz Y'all!!))) <img src="http://www.okayplayer.com/dcforum/Images/happy.gif">!!<P>

toshi, if you like em, rock em. they look fine on u, ive seen many asian folk with dreads/braids, its nothing new. you look great!<P><P><BR>"10 g's BANK on it!!!"- heather b.<P>"these okayplayers are everywhere"-kweli<P>"HI, im the HERB of the year!..." -b.t.<P><P>

Peace.<P>DRE Allah allah@metalab.unc.edu<BR><a href="http://metalab.unc.edu/nge/physical" target="_blank">http://metalab.unc.edu/nge/physical<;/a><BR>Physical Science Productions

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Since going to get my hair palm roled and seeing several white folks in there doing their thang, I can not be phased. I can't say the same for everyone else. The locs may be his down fall if people are not feeling him. Maybe he should do like Maxwell and not put himself on the cover. Sometimes people become to preoccupied with the artists appearance and forget about his skills. Maybe he can do like Kelly Price and just release the song a few months before the video. Nobody gave a fuck when they found out she was fat by the time the video came out because "A Friend of Mine" was da bomb.

The difference between a hoe and a bitch is that a hoe will fuck everybody...
A bitch will fuck everybody but you. -Frenchie

As a sister who is VERY proud of her dreads I must tell you all that hair is very powerful and yes in some cases political. If you doubt what I say, ladies cornrow your hair tomorrow and see how the people you work with react. Brothers, stop cutting you hair and grow an afro and see what happens. Believe me when I tell you no matter what you wear, how you behave, or how smart you are, mainstream america will pass judgement on you according to the way you wear your hair.<BR>Now am I offended that Toshi decided to dread? It depends, it he doing it as a way to show his support for those who see beauty in being your own person, or is he doing it because it's the latest trend? My guess is it's probably both, I hear Dreads are really big in Asia thanks to L-Boogie and people like her. The kids over there are spending mad loot doing all types of crazy things trying to accoplish a "natural looking" head of locs.<BR>The decision to loc my hair was very spiritual, I prayed for weeks for strength and guidance. The strength to deal with the dirty look and smart ass comments (from both blacks and whites) and the guidance to react with grace and dignity. <BR>Toshi, if you are down for the cause, what ever it may be - Mo' power to you!!! If you're looking to follow a trend, do all of the natty dreads a favor and find something original to do with yourself. <P>The truth is an offense but not a sin - Robert Nesta Marley

There are mad dreads in Japan. More than I've seen in most big cities here in the US. In fact, I just happened to be there on business, and the largest reggae concert I've ever seen (stadium filled to capacity) was in effect. Funny thing was, the artist were people who aren't even appreciated over here in america. It's funny how it takes another people rockin' our culture (music, fashion, etc..) to remind us about our own thang! BIG UP Toshi! <P>A LOK