Where you at?

Excuse me, Kings and Kweens, but there’s something that I need to speak on that has been weighing heavy on my heart. I’ve been watching the events unfold in Ferguson, Missouri, as most of you probably have. If you’re out of the loop, allow Jah to catch you up.
A young black man, Michael Brown, was shot and killed after a confrontation with a police officer. This is a highly sensitive matter due to the previous deaths of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Oscar Grant and Sean Bell. They were all shot and killed by Caucasian men, some being police officers. Ferguson was the first city to respond to the killings by protesting and rioting in the streets, but I have some feelings about all of this that I would like to share with all of you.
I agree that the deaths of these young men are horrible, but the truth is that young black men kill each other in greater numbers, at a much higher rate, and also for far less reasons than these travesties I’ve just mentioned. What has me vexed about all of this is that no one riots or organizes marches in protest of these senseless murders. So, I ask all of these people that are currently standing against these crimes committed by white men, where you at?
Black men riddled a young six-year-old girl in Kansas City, Missouri with bullets when she was coming out of a store with her father. Where you at? A week later, a 10 year-old girl was killed while sitting in her living room watching television. It is believed that a person of color, driving down the street shooting up homes, caused the murder. Where you at? In Fort Worth, Texas, a grandmother and her five-year-old granddaughter was killed when a black man walked up to the granddaughters party and opened fire. Where you at? A 17-year-old high school student in Dallas, Texas was beaten and stomped to death in his front yard by a group of black men. One of perpetrators was said to be a friend of the victim. He was beat down over a petty argument. Where you at?
We seem to complain when someone of another color murders one of our own, but, we become mute and invisible when we kill one another. We must take the plank out of our own eye before taking it out of another’s eye. Meaning, we must show a concern and interest in the Black on Black violence that is decimating our communities before we complain, speak on, and protest the violence coming from outside of us. No matter how you justify it, murder is murder. We must concentrate on saving ourselves instead of killing ourselves.

Peace and Blessings,
Jah Soul

A Dirty Game

My homies eyes turned red as he bled from the gunshot.

Two blinks, one tear and then his heart stopped.

On the wings of an angel did his soul leave.

Time slowed down and then I felt a cold breeze.

As he bled, his blood spread like an oil spill.

Eighteen and he’s killed… now, that’s a raw deal.

Another son gunned down, another brother lost.

He balled hard on these suckas, then he paid the cost.

He couldn’t see the jealousy inside their eyes though.

My little homie lived fast but he died slow.

The irony is telling me that I should pump the brakes

but hateful thoughts begin to overtake.

I wanna up the stakes, take them to full throttle.

Pour the gas on, hang the gas out this ‘Lac

and get my smash on.

I could retaliate, but this cycle will never cease.

Immortal enemies, so we will never kill the beast.

That’s what they want; violence, destruction and blood shed

and won’t be satisfied until we’re laying all dead.

So I hold my head and keep it movin’ just the same.

Trying to keep my hands clean but it’s a dirty game.

– Jah Soul

 

Get Down

In a letter my homegirl wrote me, she made the statement that she believes it is “hunting season on Black Men” and I agree with that. We are being ostracized and dehumanized daily by the media and sadly, by our own actions. There is a solution that can be enacted to diffuse these acts of genocide.

The first thing they teach a student in the police academy is when you are being fired upon, get down on the ground or crouch behind something. Make yourself as small of a target as possible. This action greatly decreases your chances of being shot. So, since we as Black men are being “hunted”, we must make ourselves as small as a target as possible. How can this be done without looking weak? Through knowledge and education.

We must empower ourselves through the knowledge of self and of life. This will in turn strengthen our spirits and our minds. We will no longer feel as if we are inferior or of a lesser value than our counterparts. This will allow us to instill great morals and principals back into our essence and communities; thus elevating our self-esteem, confidence and morale. It will alter how we look at our selves and life.

An educated man is a respected man. Once we are able to climb to the same level of education as our counterparts, we won’t look to them as being superior or “smarter”. We will carry a higher image of ourselves, which will motivate us to want better for ourselves and the people in our community. Education and knowledge enlightens the mind. Right now, we are blindly walking in to the “cross hairs” of those hunting us.

Remember, before they can begin to hunt us, they have to make us look worthy of being hunted. The more despicable and malevolent they make us look, the easier it is to hunt us. The crazier and more ignorant we act, the easier it becomes for them to pick us off.  We must strive to make ourselves look less repulsive so we can look less “killable”.

Let us carry ourselves with dignity and respect. Let us walk a higher path than what we are currently on. We need to stop walking right in the line of fire. Get Down!!!

– Jah Soul

As the World Turns (Upside Down)

Subliminal mind games being skillfully played on the masses.

Bottles of barbiturates given so the minds are more like molasses.

Billboards and blow-up dolls can be found on every block and a dollop of a sexy trollop

will cause the men to flock.

Laced with lies for so long that it’s what we most expect, while morals and principals

are something we don’t respect.

Promiscuous princesses prancing around in place, waiting patiently for perverted

pedophiles to finally give chase.

Children of color dying for reasons not yet shown, being vilified like men,

although they’re not grown.

Down the rabbit hole I go. I wonder what land I’m in.

Where it’s weird to have a good heart, but cool to live in sin

and gangsta’s are continuously glorified, immortalized and praised.

So I ask the question mama, why isn’t this how I was raised?

If bad boys get all the babes, what’s the point of changing over?

Everyone around me is inebriated, so why do I remain sober?

The battle of Cain and Abel; am I my brothers keeper?

Physically we’re growing stronger, spiritually we’re growing weaker.

This world has become peculiar, a testament of times to come.

I just hope it’s some good ones left when it’s all said and done…

– Jah Soul