Open letter to Jay-Z.

[Mike Barnes]

Black Dot(Author, Community Activist, Hiphop Historian), Sends out a challege to Jay and Beyonce in this open letter, In regards to the music industry(Hopefully, Jay performing at Carnegie Hall in New York this past Monday night will help ignite and change the image that Jay has portrayed on wax since the mid 90's(Cats will most definitely remember the plate, 'Ain't no nigga', By Jay in 1996).

Much Respect
Mike Barnes


Open Letter to Jay Z by The Black Dot:

Dear Jay Z.


I would first like to congratulate you and Beyonce on giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. There is nothing greater in this world than to bring forth life, especially when you are in love with the person in which that life is manifested. Something as great as having a child changes a man. It changes his perspective on life. No amount of money or material gain can equate to the smile of a child that you helped to create. This energy is magnified when a man has a daughter because it forces him to truly acknowledge and respect the power of female energy.



Growing up in the hood without our father’s present forces a lot of us to become ultra masculine to compensate for their absence. This may be expressed in the way we treat women, or view women altogether. But a beautiful baby girl changes all of that. You become her supreme protector, because as a man, you understand some of the ramifications that women who grow up without their fathers can have on their self-esteem. You understand that they can begin to equate love with sex which leads to them being taken advantage of. And the way that women, especially women of color are portrayed in the media doesn’t help that cause at all.



As a father of a daughter myself, I know all too well the importance of protecting her innocence at all cost. This includes monitoring the music she listens to, the videos she watches, as well as the magazines she reads. Some of your music and the way that you have portrayed women in the past have been questionable at best, but none of that matters anymore. You are a part of my team now and that’s the father/daughter Team. And whether you are a millionaire or working a nine to five, we have one rule and one rule only: and that is to protect our daughters at all cost. You are a man of great power and worldly influence who has amassed a great fortune in the world of entertainment. While I don’t expect that to change, I can only hope that greater consideration is given when making a music video, or signing an artist that may not be as favorable to women.



Beyonce, you too have a great responsibility as well. You are one of the greatest musical icon’s the world has ever seen. But little eight and nine year old girls gyrating their pelvis trying to emulate you is not cute at all. I can’t solely place the blame on you two because we all have a responsibility to do our part. But the sphere of influence that you two have is tremendous. Based on what we see now in the media, can you imagine what kind of sexual temptations Blue Ivy will be faced with? Jay, you have the power to start a new trend, and we fathers are willing to follow your lead as we clean up the cultural mess that we have collectively created. Blue Ivy’s birth can serve as a wake up call for us all. Let’s call it a ten-year plan to clean up the music industry so that she can grow up void of the images and music that plagued the generation before her. You have the power to reach many, but the responsibility will trickle down to each and every father, brother, and husband to do their part. What has been done or said about women in the past doesn’t matter because we can’t change the past, but we can change the future, starting with “the most beautifullest thing in this world”. Peace, and once again, congratulations on the arrival of Blue Ivy Carter.



The Black Dot, Author of The Book Hip Hop Decoded, and the father of a beautiful daughter

The Black Dot can be reached at blackdot16@hotmail.com or Twitter

[EddieW8]

As always, much respect to you, Mike. But I think this so-called "open letter" is way over the top. It is very presumptuous of "Black Dot" to think he needs to give parenting advice to them. Jay-Z & Beyonce will be just fine and so will their beautiful daughter! Besides, "Black Dot" isn't even a real name! *short rant over*

[bkny11203]

As always, much respect to you, Mike. But I think this so-called "open letter" is way over the top. It is very presumptuous of "Black Dot" to think he needs to give parenting advice to them. Jay-Z & Beyonce will be just fine and so will their beautiful daughter! Besides, "Black Dot" isn't even a real name! *short rant over*

Word.

[Chuck P]

I really don't think this is necessary, and I don't understand why Jay and Beyonce had to become parents for the Black Dot to send this open letter if he was compelled to question the way in which they decide to create music..........

I find it troubling that he decided to single them out......

[Mike Barnes]

Eddie, Much respect to you and your's too, My man, Eddie, I don't feel Black Dot is trying to give Jay and Beyonce parenting advise, I feel Black Dot is trying to enlighten Jay and Beyonce on the trials and tribulations of being first-time parents in regards to they're careers and the images that Jay and Beyonce project when it comes to responsiblity to be parents, My man, Eddie, As we all know, the world is a very different place compared to the 1960's,70's,80's, Etc, In regards to

Access to information, So i'm very sure Blue Ivy Carter will gain access to Jay's music(While he was down with Dame Dash during the 90's to early 2000's), And the very negative images that Jay used to rhyme about in regards to young ladies), When Blue Ivy Carter gets older(parents have to explain to they're children the things that they we're doing alot more know, Because of the internet, Opposed to years past when parents could lie or not tell the whole story or stories of they're

Illicit ways, My man/LOL), Eddie, For an artist to to point out to they're children that art supercedes responsibilty and morality is mad weak on any level in regards to being an entertainer, My man, Eddie, As we all know, Children watch adults very closely, Along with the peer pressure that children and young teens face from a very early age nowdays, So, For a cat to hear his pops rhyme about young ladies in a very dis-respectful manner can breed an dis-respectful image of young ladies

(We see this every day since the creation of cats making very negative plates in 1986 courtesy of Schooly-D('PSK'), Too short(Money's whole catalog of plates is nothing but negative towards young ladies, My man/LOL), Ice-Tea, G.Rap, NWA, Etc, My man, Eddie, Jay's a street cat who made it from nothing(That is one of the things that Jay can enlighten his daughter on, My man), Though, Money's(Jay-Z), Whole career has been built off of negative rhymes and signing artists to Def-Jam

Who have participated in mad sexual illicit images too(Exhibit A:Rihanna), So, I feel those of the things that Black Dot wanted to express in his open-letter to Jay, My man(Not that Jay does not know about all of the things that we are building on now, In regards to responsibility and image, But, Just incase Money does not care about his responsibility and image in the music industry in regards making plates and signing artists to his label, Here'e Black Dot to challenge Jay to look at his

Daughter and say to his self(I have to change my shit for my baby to be proud of, My man), Eddie, I'm not stating that Jay has to become an KRS or Chuck-D clone, My man(It would help to see that type of evolution by Jay though, My man/LOL), Thus, I strongely feel as a parent Jay has to question the way he makes his money(Just like when Jay was scrambling on the block in Marcy in Brooklyn during the 80's, Before Jaz put Jay down to make plates in 1986), Chuck P, I feel Black Dot felt

That as parents Jay and Beyonce will have more of an feel for the negative images that they both have depicted in they're music and video's, My man(When cats are single, Cats do not care about images as long as the checks are on-time, My man/LOL), Chuck, I'm very sure your evolution from being single to being a parent consisted of music that you used to listen to while single with no children, To, Truely making sure your children do not listen to certain music and especially watch

Certain illicit video's(That maybe you would have been watching during your single years, My man), Chuck P, To get cats attention, Sometimes the most popular and successful of folk have to be singled out in regards to discipline and responsiblity, My man(Exhibit A:theirs very few entertainers more popular than Jay and Beyonce on the black entertainment circuit these days, My man), Chuck P, They're are those times when certain folk need to be singled out in regards to actions(Exhibit B:Chuck, Image if Farrakan, Bambatta, Mike Concepion(Former leader of the Crips in Los Angeles during the 80's), Jim Brown(Founder of the I-Can

Organization during the 80's in Los Angeles), KRS-One, Chuck-D, Wise Intelligent(Poor Righteous Teachers),Etc, Would have come mad hard at Puff, Tupac, Suge Knight, Etc, In regards to the East-Coast vs West Coast nonsense during the 90s(All of those cats waited to come together after Tupac and Biggie caught 6 in the

Neck in 1996 and 1997, In regards to the hiphop summit to stop the violence in hiphop during the 90's, My man), Chuck P, My thing in regards to Black Dot's letter to Jay is, Will Jay take heed to what is written in the letter as far as Jay evolving into the father and husband that will most defintley make Blue Ivy Carter very proud of for years to come, My man.

Much Respect
Mike Barnes

[Chuck P]

I hear you Mike, but you can't just decide that Jay and Beyonce are responsible for holding down the fate of African American consciousness and self awareness , its not their responsibility to raise our children and create positive value systems for them, as a parent the Black Dot should mos def understand that...........

To suggest that these two entertainers could potentially have a larger effect on children than their parents is self defeating and typical, bottom line, every parent has to take responsibility for the actions of their own children and rear them in the way they see fit, because at some point those children will begin to create value systems and belief patterns on their own, and regardless to what was taught in the home, they may end up making poor decisions anyway, so should that be the fault of Jay-Z, Beyonce, or the parents????????

I don't think so........

[Mike Barnes]

Chuck, I don't feel Black Dot is stating that Jay and Beyonce has to be responsible fo the fate of African American consiousness and self-awareness in his letter, My man, Though, Anyone who steps out of they're rest(House, Apartment, Park Bench, Etc), Has the responsibility to present themselves in an respectful manner in regards to discipline and image that a cat depicts to society, My man, Chuck, We all know every parent has to take responsibility to raise they're children as they

(Parents), See fit(No problem with me on this, My man/LOL), But, Those belief patterns and value systems that children create on they're own(Your words, My man/LOL), Can be re-enforced by positive images that childresn see every day(Be it hardworking folk in the community or postive shows on TV or insightful and thought-Provoking video's too), My man, Chuck, Image means alot to me in regards to how folks present themselves on a regular basis, Despite a persons creation

Of art(Exhibit A:If i hear a cat rhyming about movin weight and letting off a few on wax, Then, I assume a cat is like that or running with criminal cats like that on a regular basis, My man, Chuck, We all know that entertainers should not be in a position to raise anyone children, But, A persons art does not supercede the image that an person creates in regards to entertainment and life, My man(At least not to me).

Much Respect
Mike Barnes

[Chuck P]

Chuck, I don't feel Black Dot is stating that Jay and Beyonce has to be responsible fo the fate of African American consiousness and self-awareness in his letter, My man, Though, Anyone who steps out of they're rest(House, Apartment, Park Bench, Etc), Has the responsibility to present themselves in an respectful manner in regards to discipline and image that a cat depicts to society, My man, Chuck, We all know every parent has to take responsibility to raise they're children as they

(Parents), See fit(No problem with me on this, My man/LOL), But, Those belief patterns and value systems that children create on they're own(Your words, My man/LOL), Can be re-enforced by positive images that childresn see every day(Be it hardworking folk in the community or postive shows on TV or insightful and thought-Provoking video's too), My man, Chuck, Image means alot to me in regards to how folks present themselves on a regular basis, Despite a persons creation

Of art(Exhibit A:If i hear a cat rhyming about movin weight and letting off a few on wax, Then, I assume a cat is like that or running with criminal cats like that on a regular basis, My man, Chuck, We all know that entertainers should not be in a position to raise anyone children, But, A persons art does not supercede the image that an person creates in regards to entertainment and life, My man(At least not to me).

Much Respect
Mike Barnes

If I decide to call a women a Bitch, I can't blame it on Ice Cube because of the joint he dropped back in the day, while I'm sure statistics support most scholars notions that violent music can replicate to violent actions on the street there are other precursors to consider such as; poor housing, lack of quality education, familial dysfunction, etc....

Music is an artform, I don't hear anybody getting down on Donald Goines or Iceberg Slim for their depiction of inner city life in their books and why because thugs don't read???????

I subscribe to the notion that we all have the ability to make choices, in spite of what we hear or have been told, at some point we make conscious choices to be who we are or to do what we want to do, I make no excuses for any mistakes I've made, I charge them to my life choices, and IMO any responsible non-psychotic adult should be able to do the same.............

[Mike Barnes]

Chuck, Negative rhymes and visual images only make things harder for families who are in situations of poor housing, lack of quality education, familial dysfunction, etc, In regards to apathy, My man, Chuck, If you we're to call a young lady a bitch, The blame not only goes to you, But to those who you have heard use those words to define and degrade a young lady(Regardless if it's Ice Cube's joint from back in the day or the wino on the block or the family member who was overheard

By you calling a young lady a bitch or your moms and pops if they choose to go that route too, My man), Chuck, I've never read an book by either Donald Goines or IceBerg Slim(Why), Because i lived through alot of the negative things that they both build about in they're books, My man, Chuck, KRS is the best example of an artists evolution from being considered negative('Criminal Minded', Had more than a few negative directed plates on it in 1987, My man/LOL), To mad positive(At

Least on wax, My man/LOL), After Criminal minded came in 1987, My man, Chuck Moe(Kool Moe Dee), Once stated in an interview that when he started out as an solo artist in 1986, He was basically rhyming for fun and showing his lyrically talents, But, When Moe seen how much respect he had in the music business on a national circuit all-over the country, Moe made an decision to make plates to uplift, Inspire and hopefully enlighten cats in the community, Though, Moe stated that

He had to make an conscious effort to still make plates showing his creative side as an artist in regards to commercial plates too(Exhibit A:'How cool can a Blackman be' in 1990), Chuck, Moe was one of the first cats to make a plate depicting the negative elements of life when crack came on the scene in New York in 1986(Exhibit B:'Monster Crack', In 1986), My man, Chuck, Cats like Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim we're not writing books that we're on anybody's best-sellers list on the

Publishing circuit, So, Those books by Donald Goines and IceBerg Slim only reached the black community, My man(Chuck, I have never met a white cat who has read any of Donald Goines and IceBerg Slim's books, My man, Have you, My man/LOL), Chuck, You stated earlier that any non-psychotic adult should be able to make his or her life choices, Chuck, Maybe one of Black Dot's life choices is to challenge Jay on the code of being a responsible artist, My man(Just a thought, My man).

Much Respect
Mike Barnes

[D J 1 3 8]

I'm sure statistics support... that violent music can replicate to violent actions on the street

As far as I know, there is still no consensus among academics on how exposure to violent themes in media (TV & video games, first and foremost) directly relate to aggressive behavior. That's not to say there is no relationship, but there seems to be little agreement on to what degree it directly effects behavior. Also, I think that TV & video games are considered far worse potential culprit than lyrical content.

[Pete_ is_ niccce]

To settle this argument, Black Dot needs to do a open letter to all black parents and state that it's up to us to format, supervise, care, enlighten, teach and educate our kids for a better future for themself

[Mike Barnes]

Pete, Their's no argument over here, My man(All i see is cats building about Black Dot's article and passing around information, Dis-agreements yes, Arguing, Not this way, My man/LOL), Pete, In regards to your prior comments, We both know it is the responsibilty of the parents to supervise, care, enlighten, teach and

Educate our kids for a better future for themselves, Though, I feel Black Dot is pointing out in his article that it's the responsibiity of an artists to present themselves in a very repectable manner despite the entertainment industry's pressure to create any type of image for an artists to display, My man.

Much Respect
Mike Barnes

[SuzanneT]

To settle this argument, Black Dot needs to do a open letter to all black parents and state that it's up to us to format, supervise, care, enlighten, teach and educate our kids for a better future for themself

This!
Can we also teach our kids(and remind some adults, too) the TV ISN'T REAL? Remember when folks taught their kids to not emulate what they see on TV?

[Mike Barnes]

SueT, How far can dedicated parents go in regards to stressing to children that the shows that they see on TV are not real, Until a child tries to emulate what they see on TV(Sue, We all know how peer pressure can influence children to do what is fashionable and trend-setting, Despite what parents try to discipline children from), Sue, Will we continue to live in a culture we're art and image has no boundaries in regards to self-respect and responsibility, Mad cats have

Benefitted from the degrading of young ladies on wax and video's going back to the early 90's(Actually the late 70's if i we're to count BlowFly/LOL), Mad young ladies have benefitted from degrading themselves on wax and video's for the sake of art, Entertainment and fame since Millie Jackson's days of vulgar lyric's during the 70's, Though, Is it a, 'Do as i say, Not as i do', Type of discipline that runs through the households of society going back to the 1970's(Exhibit A:Mad

Cats used to listen to Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor's albums during the 70's, Despite having they're children in the next room listening too), Pete, Sue, I just feel that they're has to be some sort of accountability in behalf of the artists when it comes to entertaining the masses in society and responsibility to one's craft to make a living too(And that's what i feel Black Dot'a article is relating too).

Much Respect
Mike Barnes