It’s really time to step up and grow up. We have the first black (family)  in the white house. Let it be the example of what’s to come. Our hoods are under seige.

The Black man is getting sucked up in a horrible vacuum. Our youth are dying too young and being incarcerated for life for mostly non-violent crimes. African-Americans are no longer the minority. Our Hispanic brothers and sisters are the new minority. The Black man must step up for self preservation or Barack Obama’s win will only be a stepping stone for the “New” minority to succeed in politics (there’s nothing wrong with that). 

The Black man is becoming extinct. I see it every day in New Jersey. There aren’t many father figures in the ‘hood, also there is no lineage between our 70 thru 20 yr-old Black men. Our men conceive kids with women, but there’s no follow up in raising the child. Our youth are running around the hoods of America like packs of wild dogs. Most of their fathers are either dead or serving most of their lives in jail. Now it’s time for the Black men who have suceeded against the odds to adopt their local neighborhoods and join forces with other Black males. I’ll use this analogy: you and your spouse are homeowners with three children. You work every day and pay all the bills in the house. Would you let your children run rampant in your household? That’s whats going down in our neighborhoods. We need more “James Evans” from Good Times role models. If we had more fathers like him, our neighborhoods would be better off. Imagine a community of concerned, educated, professional fathers with the James Evans demeanor. We would police our own neighborhoods and account for our own children. Once they are accounted for, we adopt the stray kids and work with their guardians to keep them in line.It’s time for hip-hop to grow up as well. Hip-Hop has grown past the initial monetary rewards. It’s time to stop giving our money back to “the man” and re-invest in our communities, namely developing housing. The price of a Bentley or Ferrari could buy you half a city block to further develop. The big, unecessary mansion that will get foreclosed on within 10 yrs could buy you an apartment building so you could develop affordable housing for the people of the ‘hood we so-call “Love” so much. Not only that, the residual income will have you set for life and we begin to develop generational wealth. Hip-Hop has earned and generated enough money to develop a significant portion of under developed neighborhoods. Any local politician would love to get distressed properties back on the tax roles. From there, we could continue to educate our children from a decent housing environment.Black man, we have to stop “One Upping” each other. We have so many successful Black males who’s egos won’t let them strengthen the brotherhood that should be. Our forefathers of the Civil Rights movement had far less financial resources than we have and did a much better job in organizing, especially for political growth. I’m calling on other Black male professionals in the world of finance, medicine, law, etc. to come back to the ‘hood and reinvest time and money in the futures of our young brothers who are getting left behind.We need more family role models like the Obamas so our young men understand what it is to be a one woman-man and lead by example. Although it was written by us as teenagers, I totally understand the effects of a song like O.P.P. It encourages people to not be committed to one person and those habits could translate across different aspects of one’s life. Our young men need to understand the full family structure is the only thing that will preserve our neighborhoods, cultures and the Black man himself. I pray that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s marriage lasts and they have a beautiful family. They will be our “hood” role model of a family. Once our entertainers and athletes show it’s okay to have one wife and a family, others will be eager to follow suit.I’m starting in my own neighborhood. We are working with our local city council and mayor’s office and are challenging government, law enforcement, and the education system as well as all willing and able Black men of all ages to step up and form a fraternity of preservation for our black youth. I love my black brothers and “We” including myself have been selfish enough. It’s time to give back to our sisters and children and “put in real work” in our neighborhoods.

Peace, 

Vinnie Brown

Naughty By Nature 

TAGS: Hip Hop Vs. America, Naughty By Nature, O.P.P., Vinnie Brown

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