Two weeks ago on May 17th, a 7 year old girl was accidentally shot and killed when Police raided her home while looking for a murder suspect. This horrific tragedy is yet another on a long list fatal altercations between the police and the African American community. What further complicates matters in this instance is that the officers involved in the raid were being filmed for the A&E reality show “First 48″. Apparently the officers were excited to be on television and might have been a little overzealous in their actions when raiding the home. When I initially read the details concerning this incident I was exasperated and outraged. A little girl had lost her life, a mother lost a daughter, and our community suffered another loss at the hands of the careless police. I watched the news and searched for somewhere to direct my anger when I noticed Al Sharpton approach a podium to read the eulogy for fallen Aiyana Jones. Normally I don’t listen too much to what Al Sharpton has to say, but this time he said something that struck me. “I’d rather tell you to start looking at the man in the Mirror, we’ve all done something to contribute to this.” I thought about that for a moment while trying to understand how this tragic event could have been avoided. By no means do I want to shift the blame from the officers involved in the shooting; they have to pay for their flawed attempt to detain a suspect that ultimately lead to the death of a innocent little girl. But we do need to look at what lead to them searching the home in the first place.

Firstly, they were searching for someone who murdered a 17 year old, yet another life that was lost. This man apparently choose to hide at a home where there were innocent people and children. The fact that this is where he decided to hide is the true tragedy; he brought chaos to his own friends and family when they had nothing to do with his actions that led to him running from the police in the first place. This is a time for to reflect on ourselves and accept responsibility for our actions. Far too often we see innocent people suffer for the ill advised actions of others, and in some way, shape or form we contribute to these incidents as well. We often glorify these individuals who are out destroying our communities and taking the lives of our children. I’ve had plenty of unwarranted conflicts with police officers, my trust in those who are sworn to serve and protect us has wilted significantly after countless incidents have proved otherwise. But there comes a time where we have to look beyond the surface and figure out the root of the problem. There are plenty of questions that we need to ask ourselves. Who are we letting into our homes? How often are we interacting with people that are involved in unlawful activity? Are we paying attention to what our children are doing or who they associate with? What can WE do to avoid unnecessary loss of life in the future?

This was a terrible tragedy that will alter the lives of Aiyana’s family and those that were close to her forever. This was something that could’ve been avoided and all parties involved need to be held accountable. We have to be willing to stand up and do what we can to stop something like this from happening again. I’m tired of mourning and seeing images of young people whose lives were cut short; let’s look in that mirror and figure out how we can stop this atrocious history from repeating itself.

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Tomorrow marks a day that many people might not pay attention to; its a day that many won’t circle on their calender or recognize as a day of importance. Tomorrow is Malcolm X’s birthday, a day that should be celebrated for one of the greatest revolutionaries this world has ever seen. I’m not choosing to bring up this annual recognition as a patronizing reminder, but because something special happened on this day of May 18th 2010, and hopefully this momentous occasion will be recognized in accordance with the soul of our fallen patriarch that made it all possible. The highly anticipated Nas and Damian ”Jr Gong” Marley collaboration accordingly titled “Distant Relatives” was released today. While many listeners out there might pass this off as just another album, it is imperative that the significance of this masterpiece is not overlooked. These two artists who are arguably the best in their respective genres have come together in an attempt to reconnect the spirit of Reggae and Hip Hop music back to its eternal roots in Africa. When the goals of this collaboration became clear to me I was a little nervous. How would they sound together? Will they be really spending time in the studio? Could they complete such a monumental task? After listening to the album a few times I can safely say that all my questions were answered and the results were soul shattering.

One aspect of Reggae music that I’ve always loved and respected was its insistence on remaining in sync with the continent of Africa. As a place that has been ravaged by colonialism, slavery, poverty and genocide, the rich culture of African society has been ripped of its very essence while its people have been separated, divided and conquered. Yet legendary Reggae artists like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and many others of the past and present have always expressed their love for the mother of civilization. Unfortunately I cannot speak of the same cultural embrace when mentioning Hip Hop music. Although its origins were rooted from poverty and the struggle for equality when brought to the forefront by pioneers such as KRS-1, Rakim, Afrika Bambaataa and Public Enemy, the true crux of the music has been lost as the younger generation became more infatuated with the glamor of American society and disinterested with our lost brothers and sisters on the African continent. Obviously there are a number of factors that have contributed to this disunity; its difficult to connect with people when the very history that merges the cultures has been abolished and buried into near non existence. But the fact remains that African-Americans have built a stronger connection with the latter of the hyphenated ethnic classification. Now we have two legends in music that have challenged this detachment while attempting to initiate a wake up call to people of color all across the globe.

I didn’t want to approach this as an album review; I believe that everyone should listen to this album and just enjoy the music without hearing snippets or samples. Don’t think of this as a Nas album or a Damian Marley project as individuals, but recognize the collaborative effort of two talented musicians that decided to attack a taboo subject matter. This is not a Hip Hop or a Reggae album, but a near perfect fusion of the two that represents some of the best aspects of black music I have heard in a long time; it needs to be understood how important this project really is. The two complimented each other well while implementing relevant subject matters such as leadership, friendship, god, land and culture.  The music is soulful, passionate, ancestral and spiritual. I was excited and skeptical originally and tried not to  hold my expectations of the album too high. I had decided that I would respect the effort even if I wasn’t pleased with the album, but to my surprise it was everything that I wanted and more. Today “Distant Relatives” was released, tomorrow is Malcolm X’s birthday, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor our ancestors.

We are pleased to announce the spring fling sale at hoodiepeople.com.  We are giving out deep discounts on all brands, both men’s and women’s.  Search through tons of sizes and styles of hoodies and find the ones that best fit you.  Enter “springfling” at checkout for 37% off.

Spring fling sale - save 37%

Calling all hoodiepeople of the Bay Area, come out and party with the whole crew down at Sloan in San Francisco tomorrow night. Last November we had a great event at the same spot and are looking forward to turning it up a notch this time around. Selecta Dans One from Broken Silence Sound System will be rocking the tables with the freshest reggae, dancehall and hip hop beats.

Get all the details and RSVP on the event page at facebook

We have teamed up again with St. Anthony Foundation, a social services agency that provides emergency food and clothing to San Francisco’s poor, for a Spring Clothing Drive. Please bring “new or gently used clothing” to donate.

Location: Sloan 1525 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA  – map

Look forward to seeing you there!