As we see so often in life, it's about being comfortable with your environment. That instills confidence, allows an individual to project intelligence, command respect etc. Even the most ferocious of minds are easily tamed outside of their natural habitat.
To demonstrate we present Special Agent Mos Def, here providing valuable insight into the popularity of cultish hip hop favorite MF Doom:
Honestly, I wasn't fully persuaded on DOOM until this video. Mos speaks with authority, almost oblivious to the presence/opinion of others.
On the flip side, in a less alpha-dominant position the mighty Mos flails a bit in the presence of the permanently-domineering -- and obvious former rapper in a past life -- Christopher "Start Snitchin'" Hitchens:
I mean, ok, sure, you win Hitch. You usually do. But that's cause you're not showing up to talk about "how a n move the crowd like an old negro spiritual." What you know about THAT, Mr. Taliban Expert??
More to life than knowing about current events, son. word.
Still, I bet even the black Dante would give props for never backing off the beef. Chris always keeps it realer than most, and if Jon Stewart isn't KRS-One then Hitch mos definitely is. Cheers.
I loved when Mos told dude, "Yo I'm from Brooklyn!" Yeah, that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up like a white man in Prospect Park after dark.
ReplyDeleteTAN, don't even defend this idiot. Is he smoking in the first video? Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteWhy are smart Black people always so lazy about due diligence? For someone who professes so much political activism, Mos Def is embarrassingly under informed.
ReplyDeleteEven if Mos Def is smoking, why should it be a strike against him when Hitchens is drinking on tv???
ReplyDeleteChristopher Hitchens is a journalist, and a good one. Mos Def is a performer, and a good one. This is what they do.
ReplyDeleteGeez. This is kind of embarassing for both of them. Mos Def comes off as uninformed on the issue--athough to be fair he was asking a reasonable question.
ReplyDeleteHitchens really comes off as a belligerent douche as well. By the end the whole thing just deteriorates into posturing.
Mos Def asked a question. Hitchens was a straight asshole about it. I hate snobbish intellectuals. Cats think cause they have an accent, their automatically more seasoned on world views.
ReplyDeleteHitchens is respected but respect Mos Def as well. Dude was trying to belittle him. Very lame.
First things first- De La Soul & MF Doom's verses on Rock Co. Kane Flow is what I immediately thought of when Mos broke down how each respective artist does their thing. Give that a listen & you'll really see what he's talking about. Ooh wee!
ReplyDeleteOn the other note, I saw this episode the other night & could not get over how boorish Chris Hitchens came off. To ask Mos if he's ever seen a Bin Laden video and then skewer him for not believing the translation put forth by the media was pigheaded, but let's not forget which team he plays for. He's a journalist after all. I was a little annoyed that Mos Def let him ruffle his feathers with single malt fueled darts- but was proud that he held his position albeit he sounded a bit juvenile while doing so. This was a clear-cut case of an elitist jumping at the chance to make another feel outclassed.
I'm sure Mos & Bill blazed the ell afterward anyway while Hitchens fell back into that bottle Scotch for dolo. Sucka...
Dude did handle Mos a bit, hell, I was uncomfortable watching. It kinda makes you figure out your position and how you would handle the hitch-bitch.
ReplyDelete"The bug" is right he's media, quintessential media. Iwant a rematch.
I think Mos got handled on Realtime. he asked a question as if he was in complete ignorance at the same time trying to present that he was holding an "unpopular position". Having seen him speak before I know he is a media skeptic but if by asking that question on the overtime segment his point was that we should all be skeptical of what the media presents as gospel he didn't do it very well and I think Hitchens and to a less belligerent extent Rushdie called him on it.
ReplyDeletefirst video is dope. Doom is a sick lyricist.
ReplyDeletesecond. Embarrassing. Mos Def clearly is uninformed about middle east culture and politics. I love his music and movies. But he's completely uniformed. As a bit of a middle east scholar the region is extremely complicated. There are millions of competent writings on the subject and Mos Def choose rather then inform himself to fall back on the tired excuse of conspiracy theory and "i don't trust the media." Honestly who does? But to say I don't speak Arabic and i don't trust the translators is to ask the listener to except your ignorance without question and just lazy. To lead off by confusing the Taliban and Al Qaeda makes him look foolish. It's like getting into a discussion of Trigonometry and not knowing how to subtract 10 from 20. my suggesting. get informed over two years. then think before you speak black man. I love you but don't do that again. you embarrass us. Leave middle east discussions to Obama.
Just because you read something does not make it true, and just because you see something on tv definitely does not mean its true.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very telling that Maher or Hitchens did not know who the hell Assata Shakur was. The bottom line is one is informed on what they choose to be informed on or, what has been brought forth to them through their social environment. Hitchens thinks because he is well read and has written a few books that he can be condescending and spew his insults as if Mos is ignorant ghetto trash. See if he can act or spit a sixteeen though. If they were debating about Black Panther politics Mos would surely roast him. Mos could have presented his view better but when you are dealing with pompous elitist so-called intellectuals they always display their arrogance regardless if you make sense or not. It may be Freudian in a sense, to over inflate one's intelligence to compensate for some internal(or external) lack. True intelligence is displayed by knowing that there is always something to learn. BTW. Doom is the shit. Amen.