Who Says Niggaz Can't Read?

That was all it took to set it off. Chairs started flyin', 40oz malt liquor bottles flew through the air and the crowd just started wilin'. It took the bouncer to bust five shots in the air before normalcy was restored. This didn't take place at the Three 6 Mafia after party. Naw, this scene was straight outta tha Brookhaven Cultural Book Fair.

With the current state of Black culture you knew that it was only a matter of time before the "gangsta-ism" of commercial Hip Hop crept its way into the sacred realm of Black literature. While Black literature used to be like a meal from a five star restaurant off of which Black folks could feed for generations, the literature of today is more like the two wings and a biscuit deal from Church's Chicken. This new flavor of the month literature is commonly referred to as "urban literature" and it can be found any where books, magazines, or malt liquor is sold.

Walking through one of those bookstores in the mall, you would be hard pressed to find even one book by Dr. John Henrik Clark or one of our other great Afrocentric scholars but it seems that any negro who can pick up a pen has their whole catalogue proudly displayed at even the most lily white book store. The sacredness of the word has been a part of Black culture since the beginning. From the writings on the walls inside the pyramids to the Bible and other religious texts our ancestors knew the value of preserving culture for future generations. This is what makes the transformation from hieroglyphics to "Ho" stories so disturbing.

In America, Black literature has not only chronicled the freedom struggle of Black people but has been the force that sparked movements. Where would we as a people be without WEB Dubois' Souls of Black Folks or the Autobiography of Malcolm X? While music may have played a great role in our struggle, it was the written word that gave the symbolic sound foundation and substance. The powerful music of the "conscious" Hip Hop era was not only layered with beats and samples but also with book quotations and liner notes that you could use to not only feel the music but research the facts. The European oppressor also knew the power of the written word so that for many years they would kill you for even trying to get a little education. Even today they treat a Brotha with a book like he was holding a gat. So the trick has been since I can't stop you from reading, I'm going to control what you read. Although we have constantly been told how "black books don't sell" the cultural gatekeepers make sure that urban smut is in the hands of every man, woman and child. The purpose of reading is supposed to be to expand your horizon, not sentence your mind to a sensationalized hollywood inspired ghetto prison. This is especially important today when you have more Black men in prison than in college. The other purpose is supposed to be to relay pertinent information that will help you make positive changes in not only your own life but the world as well, not trap you in some ghetto bizzaro parallel universe where the liquor is always pouring, the rims are always spinnin' and the strip clubs never close.

You can tell a lot about a culture by what they are reading. What is it saying about Black culture when for every book celebrating the glorious history of Afrikan people you have 10 books all saying that "n***z ain't *****"? Although, Lil' Tyrone is often criticized for knowing the words to the latest Hip Hop jam before he learns his ABC's, what about Lil Tyrone's mama who will sit down and read a book about "no good, triflin' Black men and the Ho's who love them" but can't name five famous Black people? READ MORE...