I always think, it’s just a matter of time. Members of white fraternities on the UNIVERSITY OF AUBURN and MISSISSIPPI campuses have reached back into their past by dressing up in blackface as costumes for their Halloween parties. Some were old racial stereotypes like two costumed Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) frat brothers at an Oct. 31 party. One wore blackface and a straw hat picking cotton on his hands and knees while a police officer held a gun to his head. Photographs of white students in blackface -- one with a noose around his neck -- and Ku Klux Klan costumes were taken at Delta Sigma Phi and Beta Theta Pi Halloween parties at AUBURN and later surfaced on the Internet. Just as disturbing were other students at AUBURN that went blackface as modern day stereotypes, acting as ‘rappers’ with fake chains around their neck throwing up gang signs and such. It was just a matter of time when it would set in as a cumulation of an image- backward 10 year period. The narrow cast image of black folk would be deeply ingrained within the psyche of the 21st century Amerikkkan mind, and now it’s coming out.

Yeah I’m upset, like any intelligent person would be in witnessing ignorance. But to avoid my normal rants on stereotyping, BET, UPN and WB I’m gonna get quick to the point. First of all, any person angry with this should take it to the source, (no not the magazine, but then again…). What could anyone expect when our abundance of athletes and entertainers have regressed their public voice for one of infantilism. The world racism conference in SOUTH AFRICA, I repeat, was walked out on by the SNAKKKES. As if they were stating that there’s no racism in Amerikkka, where all you have to do is turn on the TV and catch a batch of ‘happy n#ggers’. And the images speak volumes even when you turn the sound down; ‘why we aint’s gots none of them problems in America, we’s happy n#ggers can’t you tell by TV? We’s likes to sang, dance, git our drink and smoke on, dunk catch the ball and run, run n#gger run! Oh yeas, and we gots to laugh and git our peeps clownin as well.... represent 2001. Couple that with cats all of a sudden ‘thuggin for America’ with a flag all up in the ‘range’ window and tied around their domes, present a picture of confusion to the rest of the planet. So, in essence, why wouldn’t some white kids on campus dress up as black folk? Image-wise we become the most pacified, non-threatening pack of disillusioned jokes in this country. As we laugh, as a race we need to figure out the difference of being ‘laughed at’ as opposed to ‘laughed with.’ it’s a big difference… SOME OF US SHOULD STAY ANGRY AT IGNORANCE.

There’s a bunch of people who have been rewarded for ‘selling this image out.’ Taking the far more lucrative ‘low road’ when it comes to us. This is not a Chuck D vent. I’ve covered these roads before (check the archives), but the campus Halloween incidents brought these points up once again. Those that are angry... take it to the house as TRICK DADDY says. It may take more than a letter, (although certain letters these days are intimidating for other reasons). Again exercise those so-called rights and freedoms... Freedom doesn’t mean being free to be dumb.

I was platooned in NEW YORK, yet again, because of the AMERICAN AIRLINES flight 587 crash, on my way to CHI-TOWN to speak at LOYOLA U. SEPT 11TH postponed my lecture at U of IOWA...weird year. I guess I could never convince non flying peeps like KRS-ONE and R.KELLY to get on the big bird now, these guys take boats to EUROPE. Although I fear not the skies, I understand them…

Yet another task I’m takin on... I’m gonna write twice a month for ROLLING OUT, the weekly event newspaper-magazine now covering 15 cities, dealing with RAP, RACE and REALITY. That’s gonna be the columns name. Common sense issues...

BASEBALL is shrinking its league by getting rid of two teams. The answer is easy, the salaries are too high for smaller markets who will have to pay a lotta money to watch a sorry team. Players move around too much, so you really don’t attach yourself to anything other than some individuals. Still with a diving economy and a quicker society, it’s a great game as evidenced by the YANKS-BACKS series.

I went to see MIKE JORDAN do his thing at PHILLIPS in ATL. It was enjoyable as MARQUIS GRISSOM, GARY SHEFFIELD and DELINO DESHIELDS, along with their wives, attended courtesy of GRISS. We got into a discussion on certain politics played on black players and such. As they discussed the inner workings that they hoped would change, I told them I would gladly trade that level of disorganization for the replacement of sense of order within the chaos of the rap game.

I quickly named a recent incident where a friend of Havoc’s, from MOBB DEEP, shot another friend in HAVOC’S FREEPORT, LONG ISLAND home in an alleged dispute over Chinese food. With that said I told them they were blessed and we changed the subject.

I recently spoke at the UNIVERSITY of IOWA, and within the state of HERB HOOVER, wheat and corn I enjoyed the massive turnout, as originally it was to have kicked off my lecture year on SEPT 11TH. That was on the heels of yet another great time in the mid-west at ILLINOIS WESLEYAN. I spent the following day writing songs, listening to CDs and ducking tornadoes. Seriously, I do thank all of the rappers in the hip hop game for making it mainstream and popular. Therefore, in my 11th year the subject is vibrant and I can add clarity to the culture and artform. Nothing against the TRICK DADDYS, JADAKISSES and LIL WAYNES but when cats copycat them in lieu of success, it slashes the diversity of hip hop, thus keeping it at a level that a sane growing mature 25 and over adult struggles down to relate to. Mayor Bloomberg?? Wow! Are NEW YORKERS robots or what? This guy bought his way into a mayoral seat. We could be experiencing another TAMMANY HALL or ROBERT MOSES situation whereas the public will be regarded as yet another digit.

Speaking of NEW YORK, I never thought I’d see the day when CRIPS and BLOODS, and Gangster glorification would be a dominant theme in young cats. You can’t hear a clear interview on the radio anymore without ‘nahmean,’ ‘msayin,’ feelin it son… what... etc. This has come from someplace else. I remember vividly when the movie ‘COLORS’ came out in 1988. Along with a great soundtrack, what was reflective of life in LA at that time, was reflective in places like ST LOUIS, DALLAS, INDIANAPOLIS and WICHITA, giving bored cats in the hood fuel for their finding lives. All of a sudden I’m seeing copycat CRIPS and BLOODS in these places sprout, while the real cats were trying to work on mending their differences, this was especially the case after the LA rebellion in 1992. HIP HOP STOPPED GANGS in NEW YORK in the mid-70s, so we see the culture being misused to fuel gang culture, gun culture and drug culture in the 21st century?

The Zulu nation’s 27th anniversary was fantastic on the day I went to check out the lecture seminars at the BLACK NATIONAL THEATRE on 125th and 5th. It concluded the 4 day festival covering the 5 elements of hip hop; DJ, RAP, GRAFITTI, BREAKDANCE, and KNOWLEDGE was added this year. Powerful addresses by ROSA CLEMENTE, ERNIE PANICIOLLI, TC ISLAM, LUCK STRIKE, POPMASTER FABEL, DR RAY VALENTINE, ADARIO STRANGE and a stunning keynote by my man CASHUS D who dropped super-science to the multi cultural gathering. I thanked AFRIKA BAMBAATAA for the humble giant that he is, creating a great organization that all hip hop cats should enlist to, while bringing class and elegance to the culture. Peep out the www.zulunation.com supersite…

Van SILK has an amazing supersite at www.hiphop25.com with info and many downloads. VAN SILK is a 30 year veteran of the artform as a promoter of the craft… go over there and lock within your favorites..

R.I.P. to Boogie KID DELIGHT of the BOOGIE BOYS who I just spoke with at the so-called hip hop summit in JUNE. This was a cat who was troubled by the misuse of his career and the artform.

Remix finalists were submitted and are now listed on www.slamjamz.com. The function (no pun intended) of this contest was to show the music world that there is more astute and qualified competition around the hip hop earth than in the closed, unproven, limited circles of the industry. I’ve always thought when the apparatus of the Internet emerged by default, cats would be interactive proving their skills overnight. Of course, alot of cats disagreed with the choices, art is art… determined by the beholder in this case. Our 30 deep virtual A&R squad disagreed and agreed on many styles, but the final choices were nodded to in agreement if not to the beats.

1. PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1, the Jeronimo Punx remix, hailing from BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, took cats by total surprise when we found out where it came from. No one knew previously where the remixers lived or what they looked like.

2. THE B SIDE WINS AGAIN, the Scattershot remix, two cats from MADISON, WI, University of WISCONSIN students ROSS FARWELL and OWEN LAKE ripped a very unorthodox version which caught attention for this unusual original.

3. SHUT EM DOWN, the Functionist remix; a decent groove notched this one. Again the winner came from across the pond, EUROPE this time by way of AUSTRIA. A lot of competition on this one though..

4. BY THE TIME I GET TO ARIZONA, the Moleman Sapone mix: hailing from LONG ISLAND this cat did a much detailed like BOMB SQUAD approach, a lot of comp with this song also.

Like I said, this is only the beginning and we’re gonna have subscriber picked, alternate winners, and still we’re gonna have doubters and beefers on the decisions. Remember, like I said, art is art.

Here’s a letter of discontent; on 11/12/01 10:10 AM, Michael G wrote:

I had no idea that this contest was not for black people, or should I say rap music that sells by black people formatted for those other than being black.

I REPLIED; Who said that? Plus how can you say that? The mixes were purely on a sonic basis. No faces were involved. I would tell you this, that the entire historical skill spectrum of black musicians, and the diversity of applied instruments and rhythms, are slept on by many 'rap' producers who're not expanding past limited commercial tastes. Chuck

Hey I expect letters like that, I admire the passion but, sorry MIKE… I tell you there were consistent, repeat stellar runner ups like: Zcribe Blackington Smitty Mongoose Cem Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha needlj dj aps ice9 axeman808 redman gsupreme 81 trip jackson jot mixguru yaro

Amongst many great memorable submissions… now for DECEMBER... we’re unleashing new lyrics for a new PE jam selecting 3 mixes for 2002. Look out this is gonna be fun.

Gone……. mistachuck@rapstation.com