Human Interest
Comedy: DL Hughley Lobbies To ‘Save the Black Man’ With a Celebrity PSA and More (Video)
May 20, 2013
A witty public service announcement ‘directed’ by DL Hughley, featured on ‘The Endangered List’ – his special on Comedy Central. Dennis Haysbert, Clay Aiken, Howie Mandel, and Jennifer Tilly star in this PSA to Save the Black Man. Have you seen ‘The Endangered List’? It’s funny… but it’s true. Check out some clips from the special after the jump.
– @ojones1
Posted in Comedy, Human Interest, Opinion, Videos | 
Tags: DL Hughley, Save the Black Man, The Endangered List | 
No Comments »
Malcolm X: Make It Plain (Documentary)
May 19, 2013
Happy Birthday El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz! Thank you for teaching us to love ourselves. In honor of Malcolm X’s birthday today check out this 1994 PBS documentary entitled “Malcolm X: Make It Plain”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Cover Story, Education, History, Human Interest, News, Politics, Videos | Tags: Documentary, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, Malcolm X, Malcolm X: Make It Plain, PBS | No Comments »
Chen Lo Speaks On His Remix of Jay-Z’s “Open Letter” and ‘Foreign Affairs’ Experience (Video)
May 17, 2013
Chen Lo is ‘a modern day griot’ with a very interesting story to tell. Watch.
‘Hip-Hop artist Chen Lo talks about his recently recorded remix of Jay Z’s “Open Letter” and the reason behind it. Chen Lo explains his understanding of the ‘Open Letter’ song and how it relates to his international experience with Hillary Clinton, the State Department, CBS, Aljazeera English and the U.S. Government’s use of Hip-Hop as a chess piece in its game of foreign affairs. Chen Lo also gives a viewpoint that only a select few Hip-Hop artists can address.’
– Footprints Web Series
Chen Lo’s album “Footprints” is due out September 10, 2013. But check out the audio for his “Open Letter” remix now.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Music, Opinion, Politics, Videos | Tags: CHEN LO, Jay-Z, Open Letter | No Comments »
Dr. Cornel West Sits Down For Conversation With Julian Assange (Audio)
May 14, 2013
WikiLeaks is an international, online, non-profit organization which publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources. A few years ago, WikiLeaks published the first set of more than 250,000 secret State Department documents … one of the largest leaks of classified information in history. All in the name of transparency – letting the people know what their governments don’t want them to know – which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange believes is important in keeping societies free.
In the audio below, Assange sits down with Dr. Cornel West at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to speak on the importance of keeping societies and governments open, on propaganda campaigns against him (including those spurred by the U.S. government), on his latest text, “Cypherpunks,” and more. Very interesting listen.
Posted in Human Interest, Opinion, Politics | Tags: Cornel West, Julian Assange, Smiley and West, Tavis Smiley, Tavis Talks, The Conversation | No Comments »
Kendrick Lamar Becomes A High School Principal For A Day (Video)
May 14, 2013
Kendrick Lamar stops by Mount Pleasant High School to serve as their celebrity principal-for-the-day, as part of the ‘Get Schooled’ program, after students there won The Fall Attendance Challenge!
‘Without education you don’t have anything. My teachers were great positive influences in my life. My middle school English teacher was probably the reason I became a rapper. He used to encourage me to write poetry and would challenge me, which helped me improve my vocabulary and made me enjoy writing.’ – Kendrick Lamar
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Videos | Tags: education, fall attendance challenge, get schooled, Kendrick Lamar, mount pleasant high school, principal | No Comments »
The Day ‘J.Cole’ Retired His Mom From Her Post Office Job (Video)
May 12, 2013
I know his camp’s build up for the coming J. Cole project “Born Sinner” (due out June 25, 2013) is meant to be about Cole (Cole World, right?)… but this is deep stuff featuring his mom. Happy Mother’s Day
‘Part 1 of J. Cole’s Bornsinner.com series; a conceptual digital platform created by the Dreamville collective. The first installment documents the day J. Cole retired his mother Kay Cole from her job at the United States Postal Service.’
– JColeMusic
Definitely different from the bought-my-momma-a-house brag rap. Note the line from “Cole Summer” (song we posted here earlier) at the end. It’s real.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Videos | Tags: Born Sinner, BornSinner, J. Cole, Kay Cole, Mom, Mother, Mother's Day, post office | No Comments »
Various Artists – “Wrath of the Siafu” (Prod. By Dynamite Bruhz) [Video]
May 10, 2013
Dynamite Bruhz on the track. DJ Presyce on the cut. Recorded and Mixed by Amond Jackson for Salem Psalms. Now all we need is to sprinkle in a bunch of quality ATL emcees and this “Wrath of the Siafu” will be done… a perfect hook to put folks on to the OrganizingIsTheNewCool.com Soundtrack and movement. Oh, that’s what they did… with a FREE download… and a W. Feagins, Jr. video? Okay then.
‘If Hip Hop was a hurricane, then Wrath of the Siafu would be positioned somewhere in the eye of the storm. Wrath of the Siafu, the first single release off of the Organizing is the New Cool Soundtrack is a perfect example of the underlying theme of the documentary film. This thunderous anthem is an amalgamation of 11 of Atlanta’s heaviest hitting independent artists who lyrically ambush a hardcore instrumental that will leave the avid Hip Hop connoisseur begging for more! The Dynamite Bruhz produced track features a who’s who of internationally respected underground emcees including: StaHHr, Mike Flo, members of The Liuns Den and Craig “Flux” Singleton (co-producer of the film). This is a guaranteed Hip Hop Classic.’
– OITNC Documentary
DOWNLOAD: VARIOUS ARTISTS – WRATH OF THE SIAFU (PROD. BY DYNAMITE BRUHZ)
Eyes on the Stars: Ronald McNair Lived His Dream (Video)
May 6, 2013
I have been a life-long admirer of NASA Mission Specialist Dr. Ronald McNair. “Eyes on the Stars” (above) is a great PBS StoryCorps short about him; narrated by his brother Carl.
‘On January 28, 1986, NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. On board was physicist Ronald E. McNair, who was the second African American to enter space. But first, he was a kid with big dreams in Lake City, South Carolina.’
– PBS StoryCorps
A real American hero, I often shared Dr. McNair’s story during Black History Month observances at my high school. A shame we no longer have a space program to speak of in the U.S. Dreams of space travel, and astronauts like Ronald McNair who made those dreams real, are what had youngsters nationwide studying hard in math and science classes. Because you weren’t going anywhere near a shuttle if you didn’t know math and science.
A generation of kids, dreaming…filled with hope…and working hard in school. That is the legacy of Dr. McNair and all those who dared to ‘boldly go where [few] have gone before.’
R.I.P. Dr. McNair, you were an inspiration for so many (including other Black boys from the south, like me).
Footage of Dr. McNair’s final moments (aboard the doomed shuttle Challenger) – headed for the stars – after the jump. I still get choked up watching the footage.
– @ojones1
Posted in History, Human Interest, Science, Videos | Tags: Eyes on the Stars, PBS, Ronald McNair, Story Corps | No Comments »
How Alex Recovered Video Footage the Police Deleted To Frame Him (Video)
May 6, 2013
This is Alex from Federal Jack and Hack Miami. You see, Alex was arrested by the Miami Police Department… who tampered with video evidence to pin false charges on him! In the above video, Alex breaks down how he was able to recover video footage that enabled him to be exonerated (a process he calls ‘forensic recovery’). For a step-by-step process on how to recover deleted files from your camera and more on Alex see We Are Change on YouTube.
Posted in Human Interest, Technology, Videos | Tags: Alex, exonerate, How To Recover Video Footage That Was Deleted By The Police | No Comments »
Angela Davis & Assata Shakur’s Lawyer Lennox Hinds Denounces The FBI’s Adding Of Exiled Activist To Terrorists List (Video)
May 3, 2013
It’s interesting that Assata Shakur is being called a terrorist recently after a 40-year-old case. The U.S. once called Nelson Mandela a terrorist as well back in the day too. Mandela was on the U.S. terrorism watch list up until 2008. It makes silly the whole ideal of who & what a terrorist really is by the U.S. Check out this interview with Angela Davis & Assata Shakur’s attorney Lennox Hinds (who was also Nelson Mandela’s attorney) as they speak on the case on Democracy Now.
“One day after the exiled former Black Panther Assata Shakur became the first woman named to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, we’re joined by another legendary African-American activist, Angela Davis, as well as Shakur’s longtime attorney, Lennox Hinds. Davis, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is the subject of the recent film, “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners.” She argues that the FBI’s latest move, much like its initial targeting of Shakur and other Black Panthers four decades ago, is politically motivated. “It seems to me that this act incorporates or reflects the very logic of terrorism,” Davis says. “I can’t help but think that it’s designed to frighten people who are involved in struggles today. Forty years ago seems like it was a long time ago. In the beginning of the 21st century, we’re still fighting around the very same issues — police violence, healthcare, education, people in prison.” A professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University, Hinds has represented Shakur since 1973. “This is a political act pushed by the state of New Jersey, by some members of Congress from Miami, and with the intent of putting pressure on the Cuban government and to inflame public opinion,” Hinds says. “There is no way to appeal someone being put on the terrorists list.”
ASSATA SHAKUR IN HER OWN WORDS (1998)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Cover Story, History, Human Interest, Politics, Videos | Tags: Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, Lennox Hinds | No Comments »
Mike Tyson On Howard Stern (Video)
April 30, 2013
Iron Mike cleansing his soul more and more in the media nowadays. Above he confesses: More money, more problems… and that hurting people was a high that cost him too much (his soul). Man. Deep! Check out the clip from Mike Tyson’s appearance on Howard Stern’s show. Full audio of the interview below….
Cover Story: ‘I Robbed Banks for the CIA!’
April 26, 2013
This is an INCREDIBLE read! I am so glad I have a subscription to Businessweek. I admit though: I almost missed this article (shout out to JayForce for suggesting I take a second look at the issue for it).
READ THE FULL ‘ROBBING BANKS FOR THE CIA’ ARTICLE HERE.
The article goes on… The DIA/CIA ‘contact’ who ran the operation, recruited Torres and his cohorts, ultimately arranged for his legal defense and more would only identify himself as ‘Theo.’ Several in-the-know officials noted in the story – including a veteran cop with decades of experience, high-caliber attorneys-at-law with experience at the CIA, one a retired U.S. Marine said to have worked in intelligence – were admittedly suspicious of Theo but still ‘felt’ his story true enough to believe. Theo’s op (that’s short for ‘operation’) – eventually referenced as ‘Operation Downstrike’ – was substantiated by documents that appeared real enough; like the redacted (that’s spy talk for ‘mostly blacked out’… I LOVE THIS SH!T) one that appears above. ‘The purpose of Operation Downstrike, he said, was to train Torres for clandestine work’ (according to Theo) outside the U.S.
Now, before you holler ‘bullsh!t’ and declare how you would have never been sucked in by any of this… or how Downstrike was obviously never official… Get this:
‘Brady [that’s right, “Theo” was a cover name] could have faced up to five years in prison for forgery, but the government is recommending he be sentenced instead to three years of [of ‘modified’ punishment]. He may even get his seized computers and the encrypted Operation Downstrike documents back.’
THE GOVERNMENT IS GETTING THIS DUDE OUT – NO JAIL TIME!! Talk that talk now. Maaannn, go read the article. Please!
– @ojones1
Posted in Cover Story, Human Interest | Tags: Brady, Downstrike, Fairfax County, Herson, Robbing Banks for the CIA, Theo, Torres, Virginia | No Comments »
ESPN Short: JaMarcus Russell (Video)
April 24, 2013
ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi brings viewers JaMarcus Russell’s story: Mobile (Alabama, USA) high school football stand-out, All-SEC quarterback at Louisiana State University, Number 1 pick in the National Football League… then out of the League after three seasons. With the 2013 NFL Draft set to go down tomorrow & some NFL executives even claiming that this maybe the worst draft class in a decade, various stories past & present are surfacing of some of the biggest busts in NFL history. It’s no question that whenever people speak of the biggest busts in NFL history JaMarcus Russell’s name is one of the first that’s brought up. As a hardcore Oakland Raiders fan I was very disappointed in JaMarcus’s stint with my favorite NFL team, but I’m not knocking his attempts to make it back into the league although the odds are not in his favor.
Posted in Human Interest, Sports, Videos | Tags: ESPN, JaMarcus Russell, NFL, Tom Rinaldi | No Comments »
DMX Says ‘Iyanla Fix My Life’ and Then… (Video)
April 23, 2013
Compelling television. Indeed.
Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons appears on OWN’s ‘Iyanla Fix My Life’ to ‘do the work’ with the show’s host. Well, it started out that way. But where how it ended up going…man. I won’t spoil it, but wow, Iyanla Vanzant got up in X’s…face…and it was on! Watch. Just know that, like whenever you spotlight DMX, in this hour-long vid, X Gone Give It To Ya!
Seriously though, all said and done, #SupportDMX for real. This brother means too much to Hip-Hop and humanity. I hope for the best for X and his fam and his life.
(Bonus: Check out the DMX sit-down with Jet Magazine – sharing candid, uncut feelings on his show appearance – after the jump.)
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Television, Videos | Tags: DMX, Iyanla Fix My Life, iyanla vanzant | No Comments »
A Day In The Life of NBA All Star Paul George (Video)
April 23, 2013
Interesting episode from ‘Life + Times’ on Indiana Pacer Paul George. ‘Life + Times’ is curated by Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z.
‘JAY Z’s Life + Times follows Indiana Pacers’ forward Paul George in Houston as he prepares for his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game and discusses his insatiable appetite for victory.’
Posted in Human Interest, Sports, Videos | Tags: All-Star, Indiana Pacers, Jay-Z, NBA, Paul George | No Comments »
Man Builds A Real Live Bat Cave (Video)
April 22, 2013
Batman fanatic Chris Weir has built himself a real-life Bat Cave in his basement, dropping more than $120,000 US (£78,000) on his home project and Batman-related interests. Suffice it to say, Weir is obsessed with Batman the Dark Knight. Batman comic books, action figures, and TV and movie posters and other paraphernalia. Kinda cool that his wife (Joanna) is on board… as long as the bills get paid.
While the Wayne Manor version might put more emphasis on the Bat Crime Lab, Weir’s features a home cinema inside the Bat Cave with a 100-inch TV screen where he watches Batman movies, shows and cartoons with his wife and young sons Zachary and Daniel.
“I wanted the room to look like something Batman himself would operate in, but its all for entertainment purposes,” Weir comments.
Weir’s infatuation with Batman began at age three when he played Batman and Robin in his yard with his uncle. Now 38, this grown man can do whatever the hell he wants… and he wants to play Batman with his fam.
Enjoy the video above. Interesting.
Extreme Food: They Have Donut Sandwiches Now? Yes!
April 22, 2013
Wow! Now this is food porn. Gooey, sticky, tasty lovin’… of food… to the extreme! Now, did anyone ever confirm if the late great Luther Vandross really ate those ‘Luther Burgers’ (cheese burgers with Krispy Kreme doughnuts for buns)? If so, Dunkin’ Donuts is kinda biting! Not quite a burger, but that’s gotta be next right? Check out the (delicious) insanity coming from Dunkin’ Donuts and others in Businessweek.
READ THE FULL BUSINESS WEEK ARTICLE HERE.
– @ojones1
Posted in Food, Human Interest, Product | Tags: Susan Berfield, Venessa Wong, Why More Extreme Foods Are Creeping Onto Menus | No Comments »
Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA Raps About Science (Video)
April 10, 2013
Now, this is edu-tainment (word to KRS-ONE)! Check it as the GZA shows his genius on PBS Television. How about that: GZA dropping science on Public Television! Yeah, I said it! But don’t take my word for it…
‘Rap legend GZA gives us a sneak peak of one of the songs from his new album, “Dark Matter.” The rapper has encouraged New York City public schools use Hip-Hop as a tool to teach science.’
– PBS Newshour
– @ojones1
Posted in Education, Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Television, Videos | Tags: Gza, PBS, Science, Wu Tang Clan's GZA Raps About Science, Wu-Tang | 1 Comment »
VICE: West African Truckers (Documentary)
April 9, 2013
Damn! Vice has always delivered compelling video content. Which is why we feature episodes here (and likely why HBO and Bill Maher are banking on it now). But this… this is off the chain!
‘Trade in West Africa is perennially f*cked,’ according to Vice.com, due to the oppressive colonization; and to the corrupt post-colonial governments that took over once the White man left (unfortunately, they learned the lessons of awful government well). Given those traditions’ influence on modern transportation regulation (or lack thereof), we have the realities of West Africa road delivery today: from internal checkpoints manned by local police and customs agents on the lookout for smugglers intimidating everyone they can for bribes… ‘Then there’s just f*ckers who’ll pull you over and straight-up rob you,’ Vibe.com reports. Then there are poorly maintained roads. All of this makes it hard on West African truckers… who more often than not, turn to booze and roadside prostitution. Which is where the AIDS comes in. Yeah, getting it and spreading it on the road.
Again… Damn! Watch the vid.
Nice, But Didn’t Anyone Think That Package Looked Suspicious? (Video)
April 9, 2013
As for the footage, van der Vleuten was amazed to see the complex – and efficient – conveyor belt system at work; and that relatively few people actually touched the package on its journey. But most surprising (and a bit scary), was that based on the pics that showed the open box; that thing really, really looks like a homemade bomb! “To be honest this was my biggest concern as well,†van der Vleuten admits. He included a note explaining that this was part of a student project with no criminal intent, but regardless: “Every time, I was bringing it to the post office with sweaty hands.â€
As is their duty, delivery workers drop off packages like this every day. Neither rain, nor sleet… nor threat of ‘bomb’… or something like that, right?
