R.I.P. BROTHER MALCOLM X: FEB 21ST,1965

Hey guys! Just dropping a quick note to pay homage and honor to one of our greats, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz(Malcolm X), was was assassinated 48 years ago on this day... It occurred to me that Malcolm X is one of the only world figures I can think of, who is remembered more on the day he was murdered, than the day he was born.

 Only President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy fit into a similar mode that I can recall. It pains me that so many folks have such a distorted and watered down view of Bro. Malcolm's ideology and philosophy, both under his guidance and teaching from The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and later after his defection. Black nationalism has now almost been equated with socialism, to ask many mainstream media outlets. It is amazing how death cleans up a man's image. When Malcolm died,he was referred to as the "number one anti Semite in America"....yet 27 years later, a Jewish-owned film company pours 30 million dollars behind a biopic of his life titled, "X"....and  Malcolm commercialism exploded!

Spike Lee's movie essentially killed "Malcolm-mania" within the Black community,however...in the late 1980's and early 1990's, black social consciousness was re-emerging, largely through hip-hop, and everyone had a Malcolm X hat, t-shirt, chain, etc...after Spike's three hour, 20 minute biographical movie of Malcolm, an hour and 47 minutes of which focused on zoot suits, conked hair, and gave very little of what made Malcolm so feared by the white power structure... entertaining as a film, but a disappointment to those of us who were literally raised from the age of six and seven on Malcolm's speeches and pamphlets by our parents, who either sympathized with, or were devotees of Black Nationalist/Pan Africanist/"Pro Black" ideologies espoused by Malcolm.

 Months later, in 1993,after the movie enjoyed only modest box office success( or as we say...it did "so-so" at the theaters.....it did "aiight"), Gangster rap was stepped up to the next level, and into commercial overdrive with such artists as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Tupac, etc...and our young people have not been the same ever since.....


Coincidence? Hmm.....More on that later.....

 Anyway, much love Bro. Malcolm! RIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!



 P.S. MY BOOK, "WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT: THE TRUTH ABOUT BLACK MALE PRISON SEXUALITY" IS STILL ON SALE! GET YOURS TODAY!!
!

CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON FOR PAPERBACK! FOR E-BOOK IN IPAD OR KINDLE, CLICK ONE OF THE TWO "ADD TO CART" BUTTONS BELOW...