December 25, 2006

Biochemical Slang Holiday Wishes


Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa (download/stream)
Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis (download/stream)
Donny Hathaway - This Christmas (download/stream)
Cheech and Chong - Santa Claus and His Old Lady (download/stream)
James Brown - Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto (download/stream)
Motown Christmas
James Brown's FUNKY Christmas

Here at Biochemical Slang, it may seem like the world's trajectory is a line pointing straight to hell. Fast. We shoot each other. We allow the media to make fools of us. We allow the politicians to play us like the fools we are. And we STILL come back for more. Bah humbug.

We here at Biochemical Slang also realize there's a soft, gooey center, once you break through the tough exterior. We here at Biochemical Slang realize that family and friends are what make this FIGHT worth fightin' for.

During this holiday season, tear yourself from the computer chair your sitting in. The one that has the permanent imprint of you in the seat, marking your territory as yours if a wayward blogger should pass and eye your internet connection. Don't just put your computer on "power save mode" turn it OFF.

We here at Biochemical Slang have been puttin' in work since April 2006. We are grateful to those that choose to make this site part of their regular internets tour. We are grateful to those that are part of the blogosphere. You provide much needed knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration. The internets is the final common pathway, and we're ALL ridin' this thing together.

PEACE.

December 20, 2006

Who's your daddy? Who the eff cares?


Edo G - Be A Father to YOUR Child (
download/stream)
Joe Quarterman and Free Soul - Thanks Dad (
download/stream)
Desmond Dekker - Honor Your Mother and Your Father (
download/stream)
UPDATE: Tupac - Papaz Song (download/stream) - props to cb4

I don't mean to go all Bill Cosby on you, but WHAT'S GOIN' ON? The Washington Post continues their National Geographic style break down of the Negrosaurus, an elusive creature, on the verge of extinction. This installment is entitled Dad, Redefined and attempts to explain the lack of fathers in the Black community.

Much like Cosby, instead of talking to the people, the Post waxes philosophical, using marriage rates, shifting sexual mores, and Jim Crow amongst their explanations for lack of Black fatherhood. To add to their realness, they even to talked to a Negrosaurus family. One family. How is this different from Jane Goodall and her gorillas? YOU tell me.


People lie, numbers don't. 69 percent of Black children are born into single-mother households. 48 percent of Black children are raised in single-mother households. Period. 100 percent of those kids are going to grow up effed the eff up. We can wax philosophical about how black and white histories are different, or we could face facts. We could wait til those kids become 18. We could wait until the world has forgotten about them. We could wait until those kids are older and begin blaming them for their problems. We could wait until the government will call them "adults." We could incarcerate them. At least we got options.

Retroactive problem solving is easier. Ya know, like putting a band-aid on the .38 slug that just penetrated your chest.

How is Bloomberg facing endemic New York City poverty? He's gonna open up some more goverment offices. Center for Economic Opportunity. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It sounds great on paper doesn't it? If impoverished people don't have money, it makes sense to just spend money fixing the problem, doesn't it? It sure makes the TRUE Billionaire Boys Club smile, doesn't it?

Change is only going to come from within. Cosby coming to your district, to lure parents to become involved in their child's education ain't gonna cut it. Need incentives to help your kids? Cosby is the last of your solutions. A new government office is the last of your solutions.

Who's YOUR daddy?

December 18, 2006

A new PS3? Who the eff cares?


The Coup - Underdogs (download/stream)
Lou Rawls - God Bless the Child (download/stream)

Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments (download/stream)
Max Roach - Praise for a Martyr (download/stream)

Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-changin' (download/stream)
Aretha Franklin - A Change is Gonna Come (download/stream)
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (download/stream)

Curtis Mayfield - Stare and Stare (Live) (download/stream)

Bob Dylan - Only a Pawn in Their Game (download/stream)

John Coltrane - Alabama (download/stream)

You say you want a revolution?
Well, you know that we all want to change the world.
You tell me that it’s evolution.
Well, you know that we all want to change the world.

You say you got a real solution.
Well, you know that we’d all love to see the plan.
You ask me for a contribution.
Well, you know that we’re doing what we can.

You say you’ll change the constitution.
Well, you know that we all want to change your head.
You tell me it’s the institution.
Well, you know you had better free your mind instead.
(J. Lennon)

Curtis Mayfield - I Plan to Stay A Believer (Live) (download/stream)

December 16, 2006

War? Who the eff cares?


Doug E. Fresh - Africa, Goin' Back Home (download/stream)
John Coltrane - Up 'Gainst the Wall (download/stream)

With the holiday season fast approaching, I find myself stopping to smell the proverbial roses more often. After all my ruminations, I've come to one conclusion: Thank G-O-D that I live in a RICH, WHITE county. Amen.

HERE, only the men carry guns. Here, we fight wars because we can. No, eff that...because we WANT to. Here, we can purse our lips and rock peace signs. Here, we can tell everyone how "ghetto" we are.

Over there, they call diplomas GUNS. Over there, there's just one big ghetto.

Here, our parents fight over our rights to carry cell phones to school. Why, you ask? Because we CAN, got dammit. Thank GOD that I live in a RICH, WHITE land.

Tego Calderon - El Subestimado

December 14, 2006

Diggin' in the Crates: OUR History in the Making.


Louis Armstrong - (What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue (
download/stream)
Joe Budden - The Future (download/stream)

History isn't just what happened. History is the way you say it. What you leave out. What you include. The tone of your voice. The adjectives. Do you remember your 5th grade civics and history class? You'll be doing everyone a favor if you don't.

American history is European history is McGraw-Hill and Prentice-Hall. Peep this excerpt from the
NY Times:

"Behind the dusty stools and the old towels, under the broken telephones and the picture frames, amid the spider webs, sits one of the country’s most important collections of artifacts devoted to the history of African-Americans. "

History isn't just what happened. History is what supremacy wants you to remember. Supremacy will provide you with a foundation, if it so chooses.


History, our history, lays in a man's garage. One of the greatest collections of African American artifacts, books, and documents is lying in Avery Clayton's basement. Over the years, his mother, a university librarian, collected these treasures (I gotta question, Why the eff is a university gettin' rid of this stuff? Supremacy runs deep.). In her memory, Avery is trying to find a permanent home for her collection, which includes first-edition Langston Hughes novels and George Carver. If history is forgotten, did it ever happen? If a book isn't read, does it exist?

At least, Avery didn't sell OUR legacy to the
highest bidder. If history can be bought and sold, did it really happen?

What makes this story even more shameful, Avery is spending his own money renting an abandoned courthouse to display his mother's priceless collection, OUR history. No Smithsonian. No American Museum of Natural History. No government-funded grant. Just Avery. Not even an Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson came out from their hiding spots.

History is more than just what happened. Eff what you heard: The
Harlem Renaissance is the real estate boom takin' over this city, one neighborhood at a time. History is for sale. You buyin'?

Music is our reminder that history is ours. We can choose to remember it, any way we please. We can tell our own stories, any way we please. Music: the original Wikipedia.

Major props to Biochemical Slang reader cb4 for the mixtape.

The N-Word Mixtape, Part 2 (alternate link 1, alternative link 2)

Bob Marley – Buffalo Solider
Bob Marley – Slave Driver
KRS-One – House Ni**as
Dead Prez – I’m An African
Eric B & Rakim – In The Ghetto
James Brown – Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud
Jeru The Damaja – The Frustrated Ni**a
Jimmy Cliff – I’ve Been Dead 400 Years
Jungle Brothers & Q-Tip – Black Is Black
King Sun – Be Black
O.C., Chubb Rock & Jeru The Damaja – Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers
Peter Tosh – African
Poor Righteous Teachers – Speaking Upon A Blackman
Positively Black – Nightmare On America Street
Public Enemy – By The Time I Get To Arizona
Public Enemy – I Don’t Wanna Be Called Yo Ni**a
Ras Kass – Nature Of The Threat

December 13, 2006

Biochemical SLANGIN' Entertainment Incorporated


Let the games begin.

The world ain't ready for the newest shit in the cRap music industry. You're not up on the cRap Music Fantasy League? You're not down with Biochemical Slangin' Entertainment Incorporated? I'm the CEO, bitch. The above eight are MY roster. MINE. They speak to ME.

We can't be stopped. The movement starts NOW.

Ghostface Killah - We Made It (download/stream)

December 12, 2006

Watch Your Man.


Millie Jackson - All I Want is a Fighting Chance (download/stream)
Betty Davis - Nasty Gal (download/stream)

With DON DADA R outta the way, Condi's got a bit more breathing room at work. With that extra time she has the chance to take care of the little things. A little extra dab of lip stick. An extra spray of Chanel No. 5. A lil powder here and there. Doctor R has been extra gap-tooth-grinnin' lately. She's got two things on her mind:

1. How do we GET IRAN?
2. How do I get THAT man?

Betty Davis - He Was A Big Freak (download/stream)

Hillary. Watch your man. Iraq is no longer the political hot-button it once was. With the end of the midterm elections, politicians have returned to their good ol' ways. With the clusterfuck of Iraq fading from our collective memories, Condi has her chance to pounce. Donny R just didn't do it for her. A girl's gotta have standards.

Obama. Watch your back. She expects a lot from you.

December 11, 2006

Africa is a Country, Right?


James Brown - Talkin' Loud and Saying NOTHING (
download/stream)
Mongo Santamaria - Afro Blue (
download/stream)

Africa is more than just where you can get babies and AIDS. China may
just be in it for the money, but who isn't? They're the only country taking Africa's economic future and manpower potential seriously. The world doesn't need us anymore. Either we adapt or get left out.

We have a lot of catching up to do.

We may have an older Constitution than South Africa, but that doesn't mean shit. South Africa has its problems, but rather than shun them, they have attempted to OWN them. FACE them. Rather than politicize race and class, South Africa decided to own up to their systematic racism via the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Acts. Yeah we have problems. Let's try to move on. Even the
Chinese folks in South Africa want to be black. Go to your block's Chinese take-out joint and ask the friendly woman behind the bullet-proof glass if she would like to be an African-American. Post her replies in the comments section.

The Meters - Africa (
download/stream)
James Brown - The Whole World Needs Liberation (
download/stream)

During Bush's recent closed-door meeting with South African President Mbeki, it seems they talked more of
Darfur and the World Trade Organization than South Africa. We're the United States, how could South Africa be more progressive than US? Health care and social security as rights? Gay marriage is protected by law? Economic empowerment of the poor is something they're trying? You see, Africa is nothin' more than AIDS, economic depression, starving villagers, and safari tours.

And Bush has the solution to 'em all. Got AIDS? Stop having sex (you'll get NO condoms and NO proactive education). Economically depressed? Make sure your country joins the World Trade Organization? Starving? Use your paltry wages from your safari tour job and buy some food. You can send your leftovers to Darfur.

Walk with me. AIDS drugs are cheap in Africa. No problem, there's lots of AIDS in Africa. If you sell things cheap, make sure you sell a lot. If we proactively educate the African population AND provide them with condoms, drug sales decrease and profit margins dwindle.


We all have our priorities. Or, we could just change the channel.

December 10, 2006

The Power of the OFF Switch


Funkadelic - Miss Lucifer's Love (
download/stream)
Public Enemy - She Watch Channel Zero ?! (
download stream)

I've said it
before, but it doesn't hurt to say it again. Voting is only ONE way to voice your opinion. Once a year, if you're lucky. More often, once every four years, politicians march through the South Bronx, Harlem, Cabrini Green, Oakland, the 'Nati, the Ninth Ward, promising, hand shaking, and smiling. There's only so much they're going to do for your vote.

Money makes the world go round. EVERY DAY. If time is money and you watch a television show...YOU do the math. Don't get it twisted,
Tiffany Patterson exists for one reason. Her investors noticed that 7.5 million people tuned into her show's predecessor. YOU spent a lot of time BUYING into it. Why not do it again? The people voted, and VH1 answered. When money talks, people listen.

You get what you pay for.

Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (
download/stream)
dead prez - Hip-Hop (RBG mix - Break Them Chains) (
download/stream)

The formula = colored-people-are-different-from-white-people. It still works. It still gets the VH1 exec's kids through college. It still makes VH1 investors happy. Are they laughing with us or at us? It don't matter, they're laughing all the way to the bank. We were just too busy laughing. Or was it crying?


The revolution should be televised. At least some of us would pay attention. On January 8th, vote with your remote. Vote with the OFF switch. Your finger has never wielded such power.

December 08, 2006

Don't Cry for ME United States of America.


Edo G and Pete Rock feat. Masta Ace - Wishing (
download/stream)
Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothin' (
download/stream)

Donald, we're gonna miss you. Your humility. Your grace. Your charm. We understand, Don. It's hard out there for a secretary of defense. It's hard rationalizing the outcomes of your decisions, after we've faced the consequences. It's hard sending people to die. It's even harder to come up with explanations for their death. It's hard writing speeches, too. It's hard liberating people. You need some Donny time. We understand. We're just glad that you were able to open up one last time with the American people...during the last week of your career. We're pourin' out a little liquor for ya, Donny.

After his
heartfelt farewell speech at the Pentagon, unbeknownst to most reporters, Donald Rumsfeld allowed only one interview. Biochemical Slang sent our trusted friend, advisor, and hood truth soldier in the struggle Stevie Wonder to the Pentagon for a quick chat:

DR: When I think about these past years, there are a number of moments that stand out. I think of those proud Afghan girls that were sitting in the front row at President Karzai's inauguration in Kabul, when he became president -- the first president elected by the people in the 5,000- year history of that country. They were standing there, and then they sang. And, of course, under the Taliban rule, it was against the law to sing. I think of the Iraqis who, through it all, believe that their future is bright and who are working to forge something that they've never had before: a free country, a representative country.
SW: We are amazed but not amused by all the things you say that you'll do. Though much concerned but not involved, with decisions that are made by you.
DR: It's been three decades since I left the Pentagon at the end of my first tour. Our country was then engaged in a long struggle, the Cold War, a conflict that seemed costly, and it was; that seemed unlimited in duration, and it was; and seemed unclear in its course and its outcome, which was the case. In fact, many then believed and indeed acted as though it was the United States that was the cause of the world's troubles. We even see a little bit of that today.
SW: But we are sick and tired of hearing your song, telling how you are gonna change right from wrong. Cause if you really want to hear our views, "You haven't done NOTHIN'!"
DR: And yet, despite the tumult of the times, I left this post in 1977 believing strongly that America was a force for good in the world, that the vast majority of the American people were wise and decent people, and that America would continue to be the principled leader in the free world. That has been proven right. And I can say that as I leave at the end of my second and, the good Lord willing, my last.
SW: It's not too cool to be ridiculed, but you brought this upon yourself. The world is tired of pacifiers, we want the TRUTH and nothing else. And we are sick and tired of hearing your song, telling how you are gonna change right from wrong. Cause if you really want to hear our views,"You haven't done NOTHIN!'

Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come (download/stream)

December 06, 2006

Diggin' in the Crates, History 101: What YOU heard may not be what I said.


Stevie Wonder - Heaven Help Us ALL (download/stream)

A word. More than merely the individual letters put together to make a string of recognizable sounds. More than simply the definition found in Merriam-Webster's (ie Supremacy's) dictionary. A word evokes a guttural response. Upon hearing a word, almost immediately, a flood of feelings, memories, smells, associations, and emotions collude to form YOUR definition. Your perogative.

Yeah, I SAID it. It's not what I said, it's what you HEARD. Freedom of speech also entails freedom of interpretation.

Nigg**. Wait for the flood. What's YOUR definition? I figure, if Paul Mooney and Jesse Jackson can be considered
black leaders, diggin in the crates, in MY history books, could help me understand the various definitions of nigg**.

Above, is the cover of MY history book. Below, you'll find MY history book's version of the story of the N-word (NO Prentice-Hall):


Back in the days colored folks lived in COLORED TOWN. 9-to-5, working to hold whitey's world up, then right back home. If the N-word was used, whitey didn't care, he was usin' it too, he went home and forgot about the coloreds. Lee Dorsey pined, "We may seem happy like everything's alright, but from the outside looking in, everything's uptight. But deep down inside we're covering up the pain....Who's gonna help brother get further?"

The late 50's and 60's brought a new era of hope, never imagined: the Whatnauts screamed: "No matter how hard you try you can't stop us now." People began listening. Pop Staples said, "If you disrespect anybody that you run into, how in the world do you think anybody's s'posed to respect you? You the kind of gentleman that want everything your way, take the sheet off your face, boy, it's a brand new day."

Whitey began listening. He didn't have HIS word, and THEY were usin' it too. If they can say it, we want it back! Patti Smith reminded us that we can make our own definitions: "Jimi Hendrix was a nigger. Jesus Christ and Grandma, too. Jackson Pollock was a nigger. Outside of society, that's where I want to be. Outside of society, they're waitin' for me." Yeah, you SAID it, but I'm gonna INTERPRET it.


He may have been too high, too stoned, and a member of an alien Mothership, but no one could misconstrue his demand: Don't call me nigger, whitey!" If you weren't listening before, you sure as hell didn't miss that. Aaron Neville reminded us that with actions and demands, come responsibilities: "Check our your own backyard before you check out someone else....I might even carry some of your load, right along with mine....Talk about me if you please but I must be Hercules." Who's gonna take the weight carried by the weary? Must be Hercules. Some words carry a lot of baggage. You called me nigg**? My emotional baggage just got heavier.

Are you helpin' me carry OUR load, OUR collective burden? You may look like me, but that don't make you my brother, my nigg*. The O'Jays told us that you needed to earn it: "How can you call me brother, if you keep tryin to rip me off? How can you call me brother, if you ain't even searchin' for the truth?" The battle ain't just US versus THEM, it's US versus US. The battlefield just got bigger.


Curtis upped the ante: we're destroying our world with so much pollution, eventually, we won't be able to see and breathe. We'll all move underground, "Near to hell, it's just as well." Damn, he's tellin' us this is a good thing, kids keep turnin' on the heat and opening the window and using them hair products: "There'll be no light, so there'll be no sight. And you'll judge your fellow man on the stand, by what is right. We'll all turn BLACK, so who's to know? As a matter of fact, color, creed, and greed must go."

No wonder, Q-Tip flinched: "I start to flinch, as I try not to say it. But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it. My lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it."

Diggin' in the Crates, History 101.

The N Word:
The Mixtape (alternate link 1, alternate link 2)
1 - The Whatnauts - Message from a Black Man
2 - Aaron Neville - Hercules
3 - A Tribe Called Quest - Sucka Nigga
4 - Patti Smith - Rock 'n' Roll Nigger
5 - Sly & the Family Stone - Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey
6 - Phil Ochs - Colored Town
7 - Schoolly D - Am I Black Enough for You?
8 - The O'Jays - Don't Call Me Brother
9 - Curtis Mayfield - Underground
10 -Lee Dorsey - Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
11 - Staples Singers - Respect Yourself


December 04, 2006

Made With P.R.I.D.E. in the USA


Chain Gang - Sam Cooke (download/stream)

They need something to do in there. We can't just let 'em have weights and cable TV. Shit, they'll be livin' better then me. Can they do laundry? Sure, that makes sense. Why can't they make licence plates for the state? Sure, that sounds reasonable. Making license plates is a skill too. Rehabilitation of prisoners is important as well, you know. We can't find enough immigrants, so we'll get the prisoners to clean our highways as well.

How about private corporations hiring prisoners for less than immigrant wages? How about stretching the definition of "prisoner?" How about stretching the definition to include competing against outsourcing? How about allowing big business to stretch the value of a dollar, at the expense of the voiceless incarcerated population?

Slave - Temptations (download/stream)
Work Song - Nat Adderley (download/stream)

Don't believe the hype. That school your kid goes to? Furnished by prisoner-made furniture. That call you made to the DMV? Answered by a prisoner. Those dentures for grandma? Prisoners made those. The list goes on. The prison industrial complex is alive and well. Don't like jobs going overseas? Don't like foreigners gettin' paid pennies on the dollar? Get used to prisoners gettin' paid one to two dollars a day. "Made in the USA" takes on a whole new meaning.

Pick A Bale of Cotton - Leadbelly (download/stream)

Made with PRIDE in the USA takes on an even more ominous meaning. For those that don't know, the 2006 Merriam-Webster (ie Supremacy) definition is Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises. Translating into Biochemical Slang speak (ie the TRUTH): Cheap American labor with no unions = Big Corporation wet dream.

Peep this map of the California prison industry. There's 49 more states in our union. There's a lot of prisoners in our unions. Big corporations need cheap labor. Big corporations need "Made in the USA" tags. YOU do the math.

Walk with me. The prisoners can now become a part of a PRIVATE corporation's labor force. A labor force needs a steady supply of able bodies. These able bodies do not require an education, they can be "rehabilitated" later. They just need to be. Why wait for the public school system to fail, when we got prisoners now? Need more labor? Arrest more able-bodied inner city men. The vicious cycle continues. Who says America lost its "peculiar institution?" If we can USE these able-bodied inner city men, maybe cops would stop shooting.

Forget the Clipse. Private corporations can get it for cheap.

December 01, 2006

The Shopping Line or the Frontline?


Ballots aren't only a November phenomena. Ballots don't always have to be cast privately. Your voice doesn't have to only be heard through your representative, whether or not you voted for them. Voting takes times, times is money, hence voting costs. It cost us a lot.

Cash rules everything around us. How you spend your money defines who you are. If you buy into supremacy, the returns pay dividends. Even after taxes. Despite the world seeing and hearing the true inner-psyche of Michael Richards, the
Seinfeld Season 7 DVD set is flying off the shelves. In fact, it's one of the top sellers at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And it ain't even on sale.

This ain't even one of those supremacy rumors: We all remember the Tropical-Fantasy-is-tryin-to-sterilize-inner-city-men-with-their-cheap-juices rumor. Nah. This is a fork up your ass, noose 'round your neck, good 'ol southern rotisserie and barbeque. And we're STILL buyin' into it. I heard it's the HOTTEST thing this season.

Are you waiting in the shopping line or giving up everything on the frontline?

Every dollar you spend is a vote of confidence. An agreement. An affirmation that THE MAN should continue doing whatever he's doing. You eat at Domino's Pizza? You're supporting the
Christian right political agenda. You actually BUY pop-hop? You're supporting a couple TI's and you're keeping the wrong version of the American Dream alive. You spend money in liquor stores in the hood? You buy food from McDonald's dollar menu in the hood? You might as well pick up smoking as well. Do they always follow you when you walk in to their store? Turn around and leave, your dignity is worth more than the money you'll save on those jeans.

Fuck a ballot. You can't even trust our
voting machines, anyways. The dollar keeps the faith. Vote with your wallets this season. You won't get turned away at the cash register. No one will intimidate you in line. You won't need to take a literacy test to make your purchase. You don't need to show three different state-issued IDs, only to be turned away and told to go to another store across town. All you need is green. Keepin' it in your pocket could be the strongest statement we make this year.

If you're lucky enough to have some dollars to spend this season, remember you're making a CHOICE. You can get with this or you can get with that. Supremacy may be offerin' you a bargain NOW, but he'll take your soul later. Let's switch it up: It's not "What did you buy?" Rather, it's "What did you buy INTO?"

Are you waiting in the shopping line or giving up everything on the frontline?

The choice is YOURS.

Jungle Brothers: Done By the Forces of Nature
Mike Kirkland: Hang On In There (Peace to Froz1 @ Alma-Matters - Where you at?)