Big shouts to all of Brooklyn. The old hood is featured in this video…from Glenwood to Albemarle Road, Crown Heights and all the surrounding land. Buju Banton will never be replaced as the conscious thug of reggae. Wheel dat tune star.

Nas and NYOIL are not beefing, but the two have stated absolutely different opinions on the public use of the word “nigger.” This is not a cut and dry argument. In fact, in trying to address it here, my humor may have been lost on those who only feel the negative consequence of the word. I am relieved that this is becoming a public concern, but simultaneously wary of the spectacle that it will generate. NYOIL says in the following clip — and his argument has its merits — that words are powerful. As an emcee, he is recognizing that the speaking class has always been at the forefront of shaping public opinion. Nas is too. His voice is best when allowed to roam free, despite critics clowning him for being an irrational charlatan.

He followed those statements with this song called “The Difference Between Niggers and Blacks” hoping to maybe draw a clear line between a communal definition (my nigga) and the social definition (ignorant nigger). Easy to make a song, no doubt, but there are a lot of subjective theories upon which he bases all of it.

However principled NYOIL is, this song sounds like a lot of opinionated huffing about the state of blackness. There is no acceptable way to be black or to live black no matter what NYOIL would have us believe. Nasir’s song, although not his whole body of work, expresses the opposite: there is a full range of experiences, words, feelings even in the ugliest epithets. NYOIL has fallen into the same trap he seems to be advising against including public disagreements for the sake of it. It would be one thing if he saw the song “Be A Nigger Too” as an icon of free speech but, he claims skeptically that there is no such thing as free expression. Anyone else see something strange about an emcee saying this after also claiming he’s no “lyric Nazi”?

Here’s the Nas song. Discuss.

Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson do a stoner’s dream set live in Amsterdam. Check the video here.

In the wake of the verdict of Sean Bell’s murder trial, I am at an honest loss for words. It is a good thing because more words will only add to the glut of opinions since this horrific loss of life. Kevin Powell wrote about his feelings, his interactions with the Bell family, his dismay at the dearth of political action. His thesis, as I took it, was that police brutality stands as par for the course in terms of this nation’s treatment of Blacks.

I wrote about this after the outrage specifically because this story, like many others, should not die at the end of the capricious news cycle. Rawkus’s founders, good men that they are, would prefer I crank out some knee-jerk reply to a Black man’s death splayed in the headlines. I don’t really think anyone could understand, or empathize with, the feeling of the hunted. Now, the Victim Argument has been rehashed and signified so frequently that it diminishes the meaning of our specific plight. Our plight is not that Sean Bell or Amadou Diallo has died. It is not a tragedy that Michael Vick is in jail or that Wesley Snipes is there too. It is not an injustice that Remy Ma will face time or that T.I. will not. The most disheartening part of this verdict, of the headline voodoo that’s been imparted so casually and so maliciously, is that we have no agency. We are participants in a predetermined machination of death and destruction. To write about it hip-hop, as much as I love the music and its influence, is to witness this ongoing destruction firsthand. Thankfully, a few media outlets exist solely to bring light to new music but the more “impressive” statistical websites barter in images of nude black women, confused flashy rappers, and rumor-mongering. Sean Bell is a part of this shameful song and dance too. The Reverend Al Sharpton and the esteemed hip-hop activist end up playing similar roles in this narrative: the folks who endlessly stir the muck, have their cries ignored, yet increase their public profiles even as the issue itself fades. Sadly, this is not on their shoulders. Sharpton would have observers believe that his political rhetoric extends past the stump or his news show cameos. Powell, too, wields his power only in a limited sphere of maturing hip-hop fans who have secured professional prestige and some social leverage. I can only ask more questions about where it all leads. If we are intent on endorsing negative images of ourselves, how can we blame the larger society for agreeing with the power of those images?

I am not having a conservative catharsis however. No Jason Whitlock or Larry Elder exists in my brain. The principles of imperialism, colonialism, apartheid and other efficient systems of long-term oppression insure that there will be no sudden breaks of the mental shackles that hold us in perpetual check. Blacks did not create those systems, even if African traders were complicit in the slave commerce originating in the Western part of the continent. In the same vein, Blacks did not create nor do they control the media interests of today. Just as the Bible (original media sensation) pegged us as the cursed people in the King James version to establish political hegemony, CNN, Fox News, HBO, and ClearChannel have spread a similar image of cursed, exotic people. So, even if we “buy into it,” as a lot of Cosbys complain, it would not be on the shelf without some self-interested corporate, and sovereign entities putting the price sticker on it, with the alluring packaging and sale coupons. Sean Bell, and the merits of the prosecution’s case against the three police officers who shot him, cannot be overlooked as pieces of this industrial mind-bending. Although Bell’s story of a strip club bachelor party read as unsavory to much of the middling public, it may not have struck the same chord if it had been a bunch of young Italian men, or young Jewish men or young WASP men celebrating pre-nuptials at Scores. Those men would not have had a run-in with the police because they would not be suspected of doing more than getting soused at the topless joint. They would also have been less prone to the police paranoia that plagues Black men in similarly innocuous settings.

We have all the facts, seemingly. The newspapers provide every form of spin and every accompanying version ranging from “he should have never threatened the police” to “killer cops with beer on their breath.” It is enough to make a grown man wring his hands in frustration. Sean Bell will not decide on his legacy much the same as many Black men await some earthly authority to judge us after we’ve gone. Rather than add to the growing chorus with a plan of attack, or composed boycotting, I’ll just list the things I do not want to see Generation Hip-Hop do to commemorate such an egregious act.

1. Make a protest song to support the protest song - This means you Papoose, NYOIL, Immortal Technique, Saigon and the other political rappers who keep themselves relevant through tragedy, grief, bickering, cynicism and a sense of world doom. This is not to say there isn’t a place for these voices or sentiments. I have listened to these artists mount valid protest to the inane, baseless affinities hip-hop has to both drugs and violence. In this case though, the negativity has already flooded our brains. A song about lynching the police or the effects of the police state sounds like more static in this complex struggle.

2. Stage a boycott through consumerism - I do not want to see any T-Shirts bearing Sean Bell’s name and a police chalk outline. I do not promote emblems of death and injustice on my body. I will not tuck away some shirt in my drawer as a testament to how I feel.

Unnecessary Reminders from The Obvious Department of Death

3. Appear on a news talk show - Chuck Creekmur this means you. Nas, Chuck D and KRS-1 ought to stay out of it as well. Mos Def…chill. Becoming one of the shouting talking heads further renders this man’s life and death meaningless. Becoming a talking point amidst seven or eight commercial breaks does the same. Police brutality will never be a national news story as long as police are largely responsible for the “well-being” of poor communities. To Sean Hannity, to Anderson Cooper, to Larry King these are issues of small consequence until the ratings game calls.

“Ah…let me finish sir.”

4. Rally, protest or march - The post-Civil Rights era march is an operation in futility. The marching no longer yields a serious reply from those who stand by, but great bewilderment. The Rockefeller Drug Laws, cause celebre of the Def Jam crew, were challenged with a march in Midtown New York. That went especially poorly. Russell Simmons and LL Cool J could not inspire legislative change for mandatory minimums among crack-cocaine offenders. The well-intentioned protests slither down unwelcome streets, jam traffic and draw attention from tourists. They also position capitalist, hording men like Russell Simmons as champions of social justice when these roles seem at odds. This is not time for figureheads, for useless demagoguery.

So we hear about the top-level defense of the Celtics. We hear about KG being motivated this year more than ever before. That with three stars they can’t be outplayed. Then the Hawks tie the series 2-2 and KG’s soft again, Ray Allen’s old, Paul Pierce never was.

But the real story here is the emergence of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. JJ has playoff experience from his days with Phoenix. He and the Ghost of Quentin Richardson used to get biz in the Western Playoffs. Josh Smith, though, is a freak of nature. He blocks shots as easily as he scores and rebounds. His seven blocks yesterday gave ATL the boost they needed to pull off a victory against the Paper Champions from Beantown.

Leon Powe shows why he should never ever guard Joe Johnson again. Paging Doc Rivers.

Powes vs. Joes

Jay-Z and Lebron James are pals. A while ago, Deshawn Stevenson, guard from the Washington Wizards explained that he thought the MVP candidate was “overrated” after shutting him down during a regular season contest.

Lebron James then replied saying (ironically): “Me replying to Deshawn Stevenson would be like Jay-Z responding to a negative comment from Soulja Boy — it doesn’t make sense.”

Point taken. Deshawn Stevenson is a defensive stopper, a role player on a marginal team, hardly scores double digits. Lebron James is headed to the Hall of Fame if his career continue in this pattern. But Deshawn ain’t no punk. After the Cleveland Cavalier took a commanding 2-0 series lead, the contest shifted to Washington, D.C. where Stevenson invited Soulja Boy to front row seats to heat up the feud.

This is all an odd subplot to a series that might not have been as interesting otherwise. Adding hip-hop beef to the equation seems to liven up most anything.

But now, as if to trump all the silliness that preceded it, Jay-Z has released a song in defense of Lebron James, his boy.

Here’s the song.

Jay-Z - The LeBron James song to show he loves him

This is so homo-intensive I don’t know how else to describe it. I hope Soulja Boy releases a song to make this rivalry even more ridiculous and train wreck like.

6th Sense releases this video in the vein of hip-hop support for a new breed of politics. If this cross-section of the population can understand and agree with his message, we stand to create a more perfect union where rap and political justice share a stage.

In the interest of providing a service for all you bootlegging, pirating kiddies who refuse to pay a cent for Fif or Lil Boosie’s latest, I’m compiling a list of the top places to grab current or old hip-hop for daily consumption. These sites are places that the experts go to get around tricky download memberships of Rhapsody and iTunes.

Some require a software download or even waiting a while between consecutive downloads but, be certain that you can find more for free than you can on the pay circuit these days.

Now let me issue a caveat emptor here, the Feds may come after you for saving the latest TV shows, albums, mixtapes and movies to your computer but hey!

Hip Hop Music

Video Lemon - Another site that combines a lot of links for the hook-up price of Free .99. Use the search bar to find that Martin Lawrence and Raven Simon flick or even DMX’s latest smash.

Add your own sites and feedback in the comments section. These offers don’t last long with Record Label owners like Sony and WMG fighting for the remaining table scraps.

Let’s do lunch.