Today was the anniversary of 9/11.
For the first time since it happened I watched recordings of the live footage - watched how it unfurled.
I couldn't help remembering where I was when it happened.
We all have our stories.
I was in class and watched the second plane hit, like many Americans, live on television.
For many of us growing up in that time - 9/11 was the defining moment of our generation.
It is our Pearl Harbor.
A moment that so wounded our nation's psyche, that seven years later we haven't even begun to get over it.
It was a day that has transformed our country almost beyond recognition.
Imagine how different life would be if 9/11 hadn't happened.
Just try to even conceive of that counter factual.
Today I watched those towers burn again, smoke still pushing out, and couldn't help but wonder if this is what hell is like. If we will always have nightmare's of towers falling. How years later, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are dead and dying, that this is what a pinpointed act of hatred can cause.
That if you are an American, and you can sit and watch those towers on fire, blooming with black smoke, and not think "this is evil", then there is something wrong with you.
And I know our liberal readers might take offense to that. I know some might feel that we had it coming, and even that it was a reasonable action from the terrorist perspective. You might think that it was all a hoax, an inside job, that we will never know what really happened.I know the arguments, I might even agree with them from time to time.
But when I watched those towers fall again today - I cried.
I cried.
and I cried.
There was no other choice.
For years we have been subject to things like MTV's Spring Break.
Then we had the media empire known as Girls Gone Wild.
Well as usual our friends on the other side of the pond have shown us we are still dilettantes when it comes to partying.
Enter Malia, the latest party club spot for young Brits.
It sounds terrifying, yet I strangely kinda want to go there.
If someone in the Art Star world wants to take me to Malia...please leave a comment.
BET Awards Rap Up:
Usher started it out with a solid set of Love In This Club (check out this cover) that was disappointing only because of no cameo appearances.
Kanye wins Best Hip Hop artist over Lil Wayne, and then brings Wayne up on stage with him, praises Wayne, and leaves without saying Thank You to anybody.
T-Pain has a carnival circus performance that is all that is both good and bad about rap. Seriously I thought it was hilarious. Rick Ross is a joke. T-Pain is a joke. DJ Khaled is a joke. But damn it I love the I'm So Hood Remix.
Alicia Keys performs without a piano and then does a best of girl groups and brings out En Vogue... that took me back.
Somewhere in there there was this ridiculous spoof on Angelina Jolie and Madonna for adopting black children from Third World Countries where a black female adopted three white kids and challenged all the rappers in the audience to adopt white kids because it will help improve their credit rating.
It was ignorant as hell, but it was also pretty funny.
Then T-Pain and Kanye won an award and that was just coonage. Tpain approaches the stage in slow motion, while Kanye rants about how great T-Pain is and then adds insult to injury by reminding us that he is the King of this game and so we have to listen to him because his opinion counts. Once slow walking T-Pain (who is seriously going to be the next Flavor Flav) approached the stage he talked about how he couldn't get into this show two years ago.
I don't know it was a lowlight for me, very two years ago in fact.
But the Al Green tribute section was a real treat. Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, and Maxwell all sang covers and then the man himself took the stage and just really put on a show. It might have been a lifetime achievement award but Al Green put most of the young current performers to shame!
In a weird twist Weezy F Baby accepted the viewer's choice award with a passionate tribute to God. And he brought up his entire family. Did I mention the passionate tribute to God. Bizarre.
The only thing good about Lil Wayne's performance was the last verse of Milli. Seriously T-Pain ruined it. I think I would have rather have seen Kanye - say what you want but Kanye is going to give his 110% every time he steps on the stage - tonight Wayne seemed like he was still warming up.
Overall the BET Awards was really good this year. I never thought I would say this but BET is redeeming my faith in black people.
Oh, and I want to marry Alicia Keys.
Big D has a vibrant local dance scene.
If you don't know, NOW you know.
Check it...
First there was Da Super Soaker
Super Soaker is the foundation.
Next there was The D -Town Boogie
This is native to Dallas. This is us. *hand motion*
The big one by Lil Wil My Dougie
This laid the foundation for the DFW dance scene to really explode...
Part II comin soon!
