I was recently watching an episode of Cosby, the series after the Cosby Show (which was a seriously underappreciated show). In the episode I was watching, Griffin (the character played by Doug E. Doug) was fantasizing about what would happen if teachers got the salaries that professional athletes and entertainers got. I’ve heard people lament this for years.
“It’s a shame that a man can get $25 million a year for chasing a ball while a person responsible for educating the youth has to scrimp and save just to pay the bills.”
I couldn’t agree with this statement more…however there are a few things wrong with the logic.
Firstly, where will the money come from? Teachers are public employees while athletes are private employees. Teachers work for the people, athletes work for billionaires. The people who employ the athletes set the market standards for athlete salaries. Its nothing for a man who’s worth $100 billion to have a payroll somewhere in the neighborhood of about $325 million. He’s independently wealthy and he can do with his money what he will. As for teachers, there are so many things that go into determining teacher salaries, including property taxes, sales tax, referendums and what have you, all of which come directly from the public. Now, I wonder how many of those people who wish teachers could make multi million dollar salaries would be willing to pay the necessary increases in taxes to ensure that their wishes come true.
Well, taxes don’t have to be raised. If teachers are to make multi million dollar salaries, we could always privatize Education. We could let multi billionaires buy schools around the country and then offer exuberant salaries that would lure the best teachers to their school systems. However, if we take into account that multi billionaires never spend one dollar unless they’re gonna make at least $5 back. And it they’re paying to operate an entire school system and paying these teachers these multi million dollar salaries, where do you suppose they’ll make that money from?
In sports and entertainment, they can raise ticket prices, sell merchandise (jerseys, caps, video games) or sell the TV rights or what have you. How many people would actually pay to go and see a geometry class? And how many people would wear a World History jersey?
When I was in college and I would meet people, they would ask me what my major was. When I said “English.” The first thing they would counter with was “What are you gonna be, a teacher?” When I said, “Yes.”, the response was almost ALWAYS, “Well, you know you’re not going to make any money doing that.” I was like, I’m not trying to be a teacher to get rich. I want to be a teacher to make a difference. Its just that simple. If people want teachers to make a higher salary, there are a lot of sacrifices that we’re ALL going to have to make. Who’s willing to make them?
 

Class...... I used to always tell my children’s mother that in this business, reputation is everything. Once you develop a bad reputation, then your chance of being included in anything that people are organizing is pretty much thrown away. That goes for drawing an audience for anything you want to put together. Lord knows that I have been involved in plenty of bootleg, second rate shows, showcases and contests; so many that sometimes I wonder why in the hell I continue. As an artist, or rather as artists (since I know that many of you who are reading this have the same aspirations as I do) we all chase that dream. Not a dream of stardom as much as that dream of coming to the point where we can do our art full time and actually make a living from it. I believe that for the true artist, the chance to reach people is worth more than a bank full of money. However, in order to achieve that realization and artist must maintain a good reputation. The best way to get and keep a good reputation is to do everything with class.
Class is probably one of the most misunderstood things in American Culture. I remember hearing Trina, the ghetto fabulous (emphasis on the ghetto, not so much on the fabulous) rapper who had a line in one of her songs, “I’m a classy bitch.” Now, I’m not one to pass judgments, but in my own small, myopic view of the world, NOTHING about Trina says class…but that’s just me. Class isn’t something that you wear, or drive or say. Class is something that you just are. Too many people in Atlanta who organize shows, showcases and contests just simply have no class.
First off, the venues that most of these people use are simply awful. I remember talking with a friend one night and he said something that made a whole lot of sense. We were waking up Auburn Ave and he picked up a flier for the Royal Peacock. There was a beautiful, scantily clad woman on both sides. He looked at it and said, “The Peacock used to have classy entertainment. James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington used to be on that stage. Now look at it.” True. The Royal Peacock has very little class. Most of Auburn Avenue has very little class, it just screams second rate. There’s no way I could see myself inviting my mom out to an event at the Royal Peacock or the Black Lion.
There’s a serious lack of standards in this city. Anyone having a showcase or a contest will allow ANYONE with the registration fee to be a part of their show; and I do mean anybody. I had the “pleasure” of being in a show with a sista with whom I have worked before. I really don’t know what I expected…well, that’s not entirely true. I knew what to expect, and it was exactly like I expected it to be. It’s a shame because I really like this woman: she gave me the first opportunity I ever had to perform on a show. But truth is truth…after a certain period of time of doing something; you should achieve a certain level of professionalism and status. Bottom line, she’s been doing this too long to be getting the same shitty results. And, in my estimation, the reason for that is because her events lack a certain amount of class. I know how this next statement is gonna sound, but about 98% of the people who are in these talent shows and what have you are just plain and simply garbage. GOBBAGE if you will. And if you build a series of shows around people of this caliber, then you develop a reputation; one that’s negative AND hard to live down. When I won the “Battle of Atlanta’s Hottest Unsigned artists” back in 2002, I told a friend that, while I was appreciative and happy, I wasn’t satisfied because there was no real glory in beating these people. It may sound like I’m being stuck up, but I didn’t have any respect for the depth of their art. When I said that to her, she chided me for being too self effacing and not willing to claim the greatness in what I did. Later on that year, she had the opportunity to see the people I competed against in a different showcase. She then turned to me and said “Ok. NOW I see what you mean.” That was the first time she had been to one of this sistas’ showcases, and it was the last time because her reputation was sealed.
To be continued... 

"Sentence begins indented, with formality. My duration's infinite; money, wiser physiology. Poetry, that's a part of me, retartedly bop. I drop the ancient manifested Hiphop, straight off the block."

Those words, penned by Nassir Jones, AKA Nas, to me describe perfectly what it is to be a fan of Hiphop Culture. Its much more than the music, its about the creative way of speech, the style of dress, the attitude that comes along with being a “Hiphop head”. And of all the Hiphop artists who are popular today, I think Nas exemplifies what it is to be a true fan of the culture.

Above all things, I’d say that’s why he’s my favorite musical artist today. It’s more than because I think he’s the most talented. He’s a true fan of Hiphop music. It comes across in his style, and his lyrics. I went to the concert he gave back on Dec. 7th, 2004 here in Atlanta and listening to him talk and seeing the gleam in his eye (yes, I was that close) when he talked about Hiphop reminded me of the feeling that I get when I think or talk about Hiphop. I saw Brown Sugar, which was supposed to be about two people who were in love with each other and that love manifested itself with their mutual love for Hiphop music. The movie was ok, but looking on the faces of Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, I didn’t believe that they even LIKED Hiphop, much less LOVED it. They seemed like they were acting. I don’t get that vibe when I listen to Nas.
I remember when I first bought Illmatic, his first CD. The intro was a snippet from the movie Wild Style, the first movie that dealt with Hiphop Culture. I had never even seen nor heard of this movie when I heard the snippet. It actually made me seek out this important part of my history and learn a vital part of the foundation of my Culture. I remember thinking, “This man is a true fan.”

He reminds me a lot of KRS ONE. He was the first rapper who actually was a FAN of Hiphop, not just a rapper. He wasn’t as interested in being a superstar as he was in being a true artist; someone who was interested in advancing his art and the culture. In his wake, came A Tribe Called Quest. They were serious Hiphop fans who were doing this because they loved it. True, they were getting paid, but I felt that if they weren’t, they’d still be happy. I’ve seen KRS and Tribe in concert. There were no fancy pyrotechnics, no elaborate stage presentations, and no half nekkid dancers (although. I wouldn’t have minded seeing that). There was just the Emcee, the DJ, and the audience. It was almost like we were back in the South Bronx in Kool Herc’s apartment. That’s the feeling Nas inspires in me.

50 Cent doesn’t strike me as a Hiphop Fan. He seems like someone who’s rapping because he can make money from it. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression he gives me. He doesn’t seem like Talib Kweli, or Mos Def, or even Eminem. They seem like they’re actually having FUN.

I’m not trying to turn this into a blog about who’s better than whom or the “Rap is terrible now because all people care about is the money.” That’s bullshit because money is important. I am glad that rappers are getting money now. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that with anything you do…be it rap, computer analyst or ditch digger, if you truly LOVE what it is that you do, it will come across. And in my mind, Nas really loves Hiphop. And I love him because he loves Hiphop.