The Hip Hop Anthropologist

The sporadic protests by diverse coalitions of angry, disaffected young black folks, white progressives, liberals and others with a profound concern for an abysmal lack of fair play and injustice spurred by questionable killings of three unarmed black men, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice (who was certainly not a man but a pre-teen) over the last, past six months may sound the death knell for white supremacy in these United States. Utterly irrelevant, angry, aging, racist relics like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former New York State Governor George Pataki, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity as well as a host of less well known but equally influential white folks, (like the corrupt, racist judges who unlawfully took my child from me), prosecutors who refused to indict these killer cops, just to show there was enough probable cause in those deaths meriting a trial would have quelled these protests not by righting a demonstrable wrong but by letting a jury decide th...

About his seminal life changing tome, "The Warrior Diet," Ori Hofmeklern says "its breaks all the rules and shallow-minded restrictions placed on [us] by society. Thousands of years ago, these warriors were common. They lived entirely by instincts. In fact, whole societies were [comprised] of warrior clans. They spent days defending their lives. They moved from place to place, never stopped long enough to settle down. Generally, they only sat down to eat one meal a day, and that was always at night after the battles had been fought. Their bodies were lean and hard. Their instincts were honed to perfection.” I have never read anything - except maybe by action adventure writer Eric Van Lustbader - that has come as close to characterizing my life and style, which I live unapologically. We have lost our natural instincts and impulses, which is why we modern day humans have become prey… of lethargy, conspicuous consumption, debauchery, idolatry or to those with intent of tak...

In all my years, I have never been confronted with as much injustice, unfairness and adversity as I have in 2014. As I usually do, I brought in the New Years (if I am not with my son) at Empowerment Temple which is a Baltimore sanctuary pastured by a young, charismatic and dynamic preacher named Jamal Bryant. His sermon New Year eve was about not so much about us looking forward to 2015 but turning our back on what lay behind with the closing of 2014. It was an interesting message to say the least. I came as I usually do without any prayers for myself but many for humanity and, of course, my son whose plight has been detailed in an earlier blog . I am optimistic about what 2015 has to offer. But drawing on Pastor Bryant’s message, I want to turn back on 2014 by taking care of myself first through discipline and spiritual renewal. So I am fasting for seven days to purge my body of all the impurities, toxins and environmental contaminants I have absorbed during the last past twelve mont...