Poetry Teaser

I'm shootin' my gun with bullets of verbal execution
oppressors tearin my down, expectin me to lose it.
Destruction of humanity, then 1914,
I can't inject myself with drugs of secular morphine.
Even before now and then, up until the where and when,
the original rebel snaked his way into instigate-
shuns, creating one too many hesitations, introducing human
dilapidations, exploiting negativity to the minions,
while the rulers keep embezzling the millions,
explaining how we're crokked in many, many ways not one.
I used to tell the smokers that my daddy died of cigarettes and
them increasing their chances of cancer are a better bet.
Call me pessimistic for this world that I'm living in,
because of the greediness, the rich and getting rich again.
Alcoholic fathers, abusing their own daughters,
tired mama keeps on giving in into his gin.
Yet I'm the one with all of the madness,
my enemy hurts me to cure his own sadness.
Doing what is right is not a sign of the week,
and those imploring pain will suffer defeat!
This is the result of our brothers and our sisters,
when they don't listen but they follow the resistor!


To be continued, eventually...

Janet’s “Discipline” Doesn’t Disappoint

After being released in late February, Janet Jackson’s tenth studio album, Discipline, has hit the number one spot on the Billboard 200.

Discipline is Jackson’s sixth album to reach number one on the Billboard charts and her first album to be released from Island Def Jam Records. Jackson has made a nice transition into the R&B genre and as usual, you can’t help but get up and dance when you hear the rhythm of the beat.

Like other successful Janet albums, Discipline begins with a story sequence and continues to flow in and out of each song. As shown in her video “Feedback,” the album contains more of a futuristic angle while mixing R&B, hip-hop and pop. While Jackson is known for embracing her sexuality in her music, some of her songs hint to regressions of her past love life.

“Can’t B Good” carries a steady beat, a soulful melody and lyrics that are reminiscent of her single “Every Time” from her 1997 Velvet Rope album. These two songs carry the same message of a fear of falling in love and getting hurt. However, she bounces right back to letting love flow with her other singles “LUV” and “Rock with U.” Jackson had renowned musicians and producers assist her with the album, such as Ne-yo, Missy Elliot and Jermaine Dupri. The legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis weren’t involved in production because of Jackson’s switch from Virgin Records to Island Def Jam a year after she released 20 Y.O., according to Billboard Magazine.

The criticism was both positive and negative from the public. While Rolling Stone viewed Jackson’s album as more of a digitized, sexier image of her sound, the PopMatters webzine had to remind its readers about the backlash Jackson suffered from the 2004 Super Bowl malfunction. That unfortunate accident led to declined sales in Damita Jo and 20 Y.O. It’s obvious that Jackson is too busy to be obsessing over that. When it all comes down to it, no clothing mishap can change the fact that Jackson delivers good music to her fans.

What happened to Jackson four years ago is over. Today, Ms. Jackson is number one on the Billboards.

New Paltz Oracle Vol 79, Iss. 21. 3/13/2008