In Memoriam: Where Is The Love For Dennis Edwards?

My heart for Dennis Edwards and "The Legends":

Dennis Edwards died this week, at the "tender" age of 74, after a lengthy illness.

74 is not old.  We all are expressing our love and appreciation and that's good.  But this is how I see the "big picture ":

So many Black legends who gave us LIFE with their gifts, died sick, broke and broken... largely because the managers and label execs, through whom they shared their gifts, were "poverty pimps", exploiting our desperate Black desires to get out of the ghetto.  They let them enjoy some screaming fans while packing tour dates and working like Georgia slaves to keep up unreasonable schedules (Example: Prince performed like an OLYMPIC ATHLETE show after show, for YEARS, then gets painted as a "drug addict" after he dies, for taking pain meds.  Lady Gaga cancels a big chunk of her tour from pain, and a public doctor's statement is issued officially endorsing it as "understandable").

No such "understanding" has ever been granted Black artists, to my recollection... not from their contract owners OR us... the fans.  Many of them grow old, sick, penniless and without insurance, and with no help from us..  the people who claim to love them so much, after they die in that state.   I don't know if that was the case with Dennis Edwards, but I know it is way too common with the Black legendary performers who truly did give us "the soundtrack of our lives".

Furthermore,  I'm stunned and ashamed to learn that my hometown, Chicago, where he also lived and died, not only paid no tribute, but two of the top Black stations, V103 and 106.3, decided to do a late, paltry, and ill-timed "tribute", this afternoon... not only on the low listener day of Sunday, but on SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!
I have to ask what Roberta Flack asked: "Where is the love?"

  I remember going to a UNCF fundraiser in 1996, where The Ohio Players performed.  The UNMATCHABLE guitar legend, Sugar foot, looked like he'd pulled himself out of a hospital bed to perform... scarily thin, more missing teeth than present ones...  I can only imagine that he had to take the gig because he needed the money.  Still, he flirted, from stage, with one of my friends and we all got a big kick out of that.  Sadly, he died not long after that.  I could tell he was sick!

  These labels that own their catalogs, and profit enormously and eternally, at their expense, ought to, AT LEAST, set up a fund for the aging artists from whom they profit.  The LEAST they can do is establish a housing and Healthcare fund for them.  When Prince had "Slave" written across his cheek, he was right!  Now, post death, they tried to profit off him with a hologram performance at today's Superbowl, despite his specific request to NEVER let them make a hologram out of his image.   His family and Sheila E were able to successfully block it.... for now. 

Some of you are sayimg that its the artists' fault for squandering their money.  Well to this I say, Sam Cook didn't.  Jackie Wilsom didn't.  Michael Jackson didnt. And Prince did all an artist can humanly do to control his product, his image, and ownership of his art.

But they all met the same fate.

Destroyed slowly if you do.... Destroyed abruptly if you don't.

The bottom line is that the ivory tower "owners" stay anonymously secure, moving the artists like pieces on the contract checkerboard until they've cornered them and checkmated them.  Then they loot the archives.

 Now that the Black pioneers are dying, the corporations own all their music, and white performers  comprise 90+% of the Billboard charts, DO know that they will be rifling through those catalogs to take the sounds...the genre our artists invented,  and reintroduce it as their own.  These new generations will never know because they weren't around to hear the originators!

  Look at Bruno Mars and Cardi B's new song, for example!  This new generation wasnt around to hear the emergence of Teddy Riley and New Jack Swing or watch In Living Color from which the video was COMPLETELY swiped!  To them it looks "fresh"!   Oh its gonna get much worse folks.

Tragic.  Tragic.  Tragic!  Like I said, as the "Creators" die, the least the pimps can do is throw them a few crumbs to help them die comfortably.  This isn't happening.

But this is the thing.  Music is woven into the Black DNA.  It's ethereal, celestial and is as much a part of us as our breath.  No matter what gets co-opted... our culture, languages, health, wealth, or liberty, as long as we are breathing,  we will always create.  "Our breath stirs the winds that raise the tides.  Our song wakes creation at dawn.  WE are history's heartbeat." ** and we will ALWAYS be legacy builders, no matter what they steal.

There's a reason it's called, "Soul" music.

God Bless you,  and thank you, Dennis Edwards.  I can only hope you felt the love we had for you while you were on this side.    I pray you are now soaring high on "Cloud 9".

**Lyrics from my song, "Reminder", on my CD, "Evolution Of A Woman".  Www.Reverbnation.com/Rayelity
Copyright Lisa Rayel Jeffrey
 All Rights Reserved.


#MakeUseOfTheSacrifices

Pee Wee Herman Was a Prophet!

In the movie, "Pee Wee's Great Adventure",  Pee Wee Herman sets out across the country to find his most cherished possession:  His beloved, bicycle, stolen from him in broad daylight.  Along the way, he meets a menagerie of interesting and odd characters and even phantoms, who, ultimately form an unlikely nationwide band of supporters for what will ultimately, and unexpectedly become the trip of his life.

First, for the record, let it be said, that I always loved Pee Wee Herman.  I loved that movie and I think Pee Wee got a bad break.  Today, Hollywood "stars" form entire careers on scandals much worse than his and unlike 99% of them, HE's actually talented!... But I digress.... The point is, I'm finding myself in my OWN little "Big Adventure" as I find myself for the third day, in a tiny little motel in a tiny little town in Arizona, waiting for my car to be fixed.... AGAIN.

Where was I going?   "Home"... back to Chicago after 14 years in California... and after making all kinds of new friends among the self-described "hillbillies" around the tiny little town of Seligman, Arizona, I can't help but think of Pee Wee Herman.

In the movie, Pee Wee met so many people about as far unlike himself... on the outside... as one would imagine... truckers, cowboys, bikers and more, I find myself laughing it up, dancing, hugging and exchanging contact info with the same eclectic crew!

Take Bev &  , Vicky and Gary-- a couple of retired couples who live a good hundred miles up in the mountains on 80 plus acres each.  We found ourselves in a delightful conversation a couple of afternoons ago at "The Pizza Joint"-- the adjacent little diner next to The Stage Coach Motel, where I'm staying.

Bev and

CONGRESSMAN ALCEE HASTINGS SPEAKS ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

By:  Rayel

August 6, 2015

..........................................................................

On August 5th, Congressman Alcee Hastings spoke before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), to express his opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal and the reasons why.  Hosted by the Jewish Temple, Kol Ami Emanu-El, in Plantation, FL, the event sought to educate the receptive audience on contents of the deal, and share what they can do to encourage their legislators to stand the bill down.  "Preaching to the choir," as we would say, given Israel's proximity and difficult history with Iran, Congressman Hastings outlined 5 key points in the bill, that he, as well as AIPAC, found particularly unacceptable and vowed to fight.

Before addressing these points, I think a summary of what the deal is and where we currently are is in order.  In a nutshell, in July, Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached what has been dubbed an "historical" accord to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions, which followed the Iranian Revolution in 1979.  A victory, for President Obama who won, in part, due to lingering ill feelings about the Iraq war.

Obama has asserted that the deal, which will give billions to Iraq, is the best way to avert war and prevent them from building a bomb, and that everyone in the world, except for Israel, is in favor of it.  The critics disagree.  Next month, Congress will vote for or against it.

The 5 Key points at issue are:

1.  Inspections & Verifications.  According to Congressman Hastings, who spoke with the deal in hand, not only are there no "anytime, anywhere" inspections allowed in the deal, but Iran must be given 24 days notice before inspections and of the 150 inspectors, NO AMERICAN OR CANADIAN Scientists will be appointed.  Furthermore, the inspectors will be blindfolded and taken to the inspection sites so they have no knowledge of where they are being taken.

2.  Possible Military Dimensions.  The oversight agency, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not made public its' information sharing agreement with Iran, so no specific consequences are outlined should Iran violate the agreement.

3.  Sanctions.  The sanction relief is immediate rather than gradual.  The estimate is that Iran will receive $50 to $150 Billion dollars, in full, after just 6 months of perceived compliance.  Plus, the U.S. has pledged another $20 Billion in investments in Iran, so the entire amount given to Iran could be as much as $200 Billion.

4.  Duration.  Key restrictions on Iran's nuclear capability are lifted after just 8 years, and almost all restrictions after 15 years.  In 5 years, they can buy/sell any kind of weapon.  And, in 10 years, they can make more centrifuges.

5.  Dismantlement.  According to Congressman Hastings, Iran's current, extensive nuclear infrastructure is left intact.  It alters Iran's plans for the Arak heavy water reactor, but requires no dismantlement of any present centrifuges or any Iranian nuclear facility.

Proponents of the deal ask “What’s the difference?”  The U.S. has long sent over a million dollars a day to Israel, who are widely believed to have nuclear weapons.  They argue it would be ridiculous for either Iran or Israel to use them since they are neighbors.

Others point out that the money we are "giving" them is actually the money we TOOK from them back in the 1980's under the reign of The Ayatollah Khomeini.  They ask, how could we put stringent stipulations on the RETURN of money that was theirs in the first place?

Still, the concerns prevail.

After a Q&A, Rabbi Howard Needleman closed the meeting by challenging the audience to "give it everything you've got to kill this deal.   For the next 44 days (when Congress votes), call your members of Congress.  It's your responsibility to your kids and your grandkids... and to yourself."  When asked what happens if Congress rejects, he explained that The President can veto Congress’ vote and the funds, held in an “Executive Order bank” overseas, will be disbursed to Iran anyway, even in the event of a Congress override.  “Then,” he said simply, “It is what it is”.