Check out this article on the evolution of musical formats – how has it changed the way we view music? The world around us? Has the mode of musical transport affected the music itself? Is music really dead?

FYI, the article is long, and near the middle gets a bit dry, but the (the image at) the end makes up for it.

So…what if you have a Southern accent (like me)? Does this mean that if you don’t sound like NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, that you’re not fit to teach the English language? For shame, Arizona.

Read about the Times Square bomber, his capture, and the responses of New Yorkers.

There’s no denying it: Hip Hop’s positive effects on American culture have been outrageously disregarded. We can no longer be so quick to condemn; but must thank Hip Hop for paving the way for a new America. For many years, Hip Hop has been America’s # 1 cultural export and the voice of the voiceless. It has been responsible for exposing double standards, police brutality, and societal inequity. The culture has exposed billions of people across the globe to ideas and ideals that are as infectious as the rhetoric of the revolutionaries that declared American Independence.

Rather than being vilified, Hip Hop should be viewed as a shining example the realization of the American Dream, particularly by minorities, and should be honored. The stories of many successful entrepreneurs in Hip Hop are as American as apple pie: I defy anyone to show me another American industry that is and has been as successful and had more of a hand in creating successful young Black entrepreneurs and millionaires outside of the computer industry. Not to mention the influence in other areas within our culture where it would be impossible to measure the impact.

How much credit should Hip Hop get for the election of Barack Obama? How did America get to the place where this was possible? If the Obama supporters will be given the credit for framing this house, the culture of Hip Hop must be given credit for laying the foundation of the house. It appears that the foundation that Hip Hop provided was earthquake proof. Don’t get me wrong, I realize it was a collective effort from many sectors of our society and I would never diminish the bonds that were forged across racial, gender & cultural lines, but the message of change has been one touted by many Hip Hop artists and the community as a whole for a long time.

I’m often disappointed when I hear so many misinformed people discussing how Hip Hop culture is destroying our society. Without the voice of Hip Hop, the country probably would not have been ready to elect a guy with a funny name, big ears and black skin. First, it was important that societal inequities were continuously discussed and highlighted. Rap music has contributed greatly in exposing the existing double standards throughout American society, specifically focusing on race and class. Additional issues such as police brutality, poverty, racism, and discrimination have been kept in the face of the American public, keeping America continually on trial in the world court of public opinion. Hip Hop connects with the disenfranchised and idealists from all over the world. The fearlessness in which Hip Hop artists speak and ingenuity displayed on their paths to success has influenced more people of all races than will ever be admitted.

We must also understand that all corners of America were exposed to Hip Hop artists like Mary J Blige, Will Smith, Pubic Enemy, Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, Kanye West, Russell Simmons, and LL Cool J. Their music, message, and influence can be heard in the largest urban cities or smallest rural towns. Their business models have been copied and implemented not just outside the world of Hip Hop, but outside the business arena as well, landing squarely in political campaigns going as far back as 2000 – mastered in 2008 by the Barack Obama campaign.

Many of the people who were essential for an Obama win were individuals influenced by and part of the Hip Hop generation. They grew up exposed to a culture that continually challenged the status quo. Obama’s campaign did something very similar. His campaign related to the dismal plight of the American people better than any other candidate, articulating a sympathetic message and creating a phenomenon. Just as Barack Obama, Hip Hop artists and entrepreneurs are examples of individuals who have found ways to influence the unthinkable. Hip Hop has challenged traditional thinking practiced by many Americans. The names and messages of Hip Hop artists have been indelibly seared into the hearts and minds of society, paving the way for not only hope but substantive change.

Mark “The Hipolitixian” Jerrell

1. We aren’t paid by the taxpayers (most of us).
2. We aren’t paid to regulate and avoid an international economic crisis.
3. We look at that one (or so) joke site sent to us by some hilarious colleague and get back to work rather than fitting work in among our porn-surfing time.

But government officials accessing porn during work hours isn’t anything new…

But what are parents going to think about an 11-year old using sailor-style profanity and slicing and dicing bad guys? Let’s hope they don’t make this into something more than what it is: a movie. Because I could use a little more Kick-Ass in my life.

Having said that, my next comment is this: Oh, HELL no.

Virginia’s current Governor Robert McDonnell (R) has reinstated Confederate History Month and signed a proclamation requested by the Sons of Confederate Veterans which fails to acknowledge slavery as a significant issue for Virginia at that time.

Readers have responded with a veritable Civil War of their own in the Washinton Post comments section:

skrut003: “Ooo, a relatively safe way to diss blacks and score points with the tea bagger crowd. What GOP politician could resist that?”

kentuckythunder: (excerpt) “…I do not defend slavery. I do not defend racism. What I DO defend is the celebration of a large piece of American History and Culture. THOUSANDS of Americans died for that way of life. The great, vast majority of them were NOT, nor ever were, slave owners. Plenty of them had no real desire to support the continuation of slavery (an institution doomed to die out anyway), but what they did desire was to NOT be told what to do by an ever more intrusive Federal Government that pounded them incessantly with unfair taxation and tariffs to placate northern politicians…”

But I think that Del. Kenneth Cooper Alexander (D-Norfolk), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus explains it best. “Virginia has worked hard to move beyond the very things for which Governor McDonnell seems nostalgic.” And that’s what we should honor: Our progress since those days.