Urban "Domestic Violence" Situation

Even after the Chris Brown domestic violence situation, I confess a woman has hit me in the mouth before and I have put my hands on a woman. The domestic violence situations occurred as a teenager and I regret the situations ever happened, but I ponder what I would do as an adult today.

When I watched this clip on The Root, I was reminded of the manner anger and violence erupt and are used in the urban environment and relationships. At one point in my life violence had become integral in daily interaction. It took time and effort to unlearn violent behavior, situations and people.

However, if a person power jabbed you in the face with a stiff punch like this young lady did with Charles Hamilton, What would you do? I had to think real hard before I proceeded to answer the latter for several reasons.

1. The young lady is his size or larger, she might be stronger. That punch was no slap or scratch.

2. The sexual exploit he discussed and experiences about the relationship were probably true. She was cute!

3. The truth hurt so much that she had no other way to resolve the situation other than to use violence and punch him.

4. She punched him because she could. She thought he was a punk and that she could beat his ass if he pissed her off - every violent person thinks alike!

I don't condone violence against women or men. However, I think it is too simple for someone who has never been involved in a violent situation with the other gender to say what they would or wouldn't do. People say what they are "supposed" to say and what is politically correct. No matter how hard she hit me, I would never hit a woman. Most men who are trying to impress and win favor of women claim, "I would never hit ..." even if they have!

I disagree. Every person is entitled to their 360 degree space. I will not put my hands on any person as long as they do not put hands on me. It is not personal or gender specific. Don't you think everyone deserves that basic respect?

A Drug Dealer's Dream by Tremayne Johnson

True Story.

When I was younger, I remember a dude Jimmy. Jimmy was in a gang. Flipped like a pancake from Vice Lord, Gangster Disciple, Blackstone to a Mickey Cobra. For his dishonor, a few gangs put a price on his head.

Jimmy cared less and spent most of his time with Marchell, a young chick that loved Jimmy. They were always together on the block, at the basketball court or at the movies.

One day somebody caught up with Jimmy in front of his house and blasted a double-barrow shotgun at close range. Jimmy wasn't hit,but Marchell caught it in the chess. Died instantly.

After the incident, Jimmy acted like 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and never was the same.

In an odd way, "A Drug Dealer's Dream" by Tremayne Johnson reminds me of this incident. A young lady in love with the wrong person and catches the consequences of the game. Check out the review. Befriend Tremayne Johnson and support the book.

You can view the book trailer too.

Urban Cartoonist Eric Nyamor

After the Sean Delonas comic strips debacle, I decided to search for more diverse images of blacks depicted in comic strips. I found a cartoonist, Eric Nyamor who creates a unique take on perspectives in hip-hop and urban life.

He has a take on the Chris Brown situation in his latest cartoon.

Check out his website Hiphopillustrations.com to view more of his cartoons. An interview with Eric Nyamor along with his cartoon will appear in an issues of Urbania Magazine.

I will list another five to ten urban comic strips or cartoonists that offer in another post. Feel free to list any other urban comic cartoonists in the comments section. I will use the information to compile a list.

Playwright Reshanda Henderson

Tyler Perry is not the only black playwright in America! Chicago playwright Reshanda Henderson's "What Every Woman Wants in a Man" shows March 6 and March 7. The play features Christan Keyes from Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, What's Done in the Dark and The Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Check out a trailer of another play she wrote and produced, "The Mr., the Mrs. & The Lover".



In a male dominated industry, woman voices are often overlooked. I can't remember the last time I experienced a play. Some of the reason is my circle of experience, more of the reason is the marketing of plays staged in local and community theaters. If you can, support your local theater.

Reshanda Henderson is the C.E.O of Xpressyoself Theater Company. Show your support for Reshanda Henderson and other black women playwrights.

Check out an interview with her in a upcoming issue of Urbania Magazine.

If you know of other plays and playwrights that create plays that challenge ideas and are set in the urban city environment, please comment so that I can compile a list.

Response to Sean Delonas Cartoon

The Sam Stein response to the Sean Delonas cartoon in the New York was fair and balanced. However, the ideas that can be inferred from the perspective of an African American are unique.

The reference to the stimulus package was narrow. The history of the monkey and the comparison to African Americans by other races is wide, layered and politically charged. Not literal politics in elections, but the practical, figurative politics that is played in peoples private lives.

Calling African Americans monkeys and niggers is not a practice that takes place in public. It takes place in the homes and informal meetings of individuals who believe the idea of racism has credence. The New York Post cartoon spoke to these people. They will all laughed behind closed doors. But they are too coward to stand behind their ideas.

African Americans are not monolithic in thinking. However, the inference in the illustration suggest that the President Obama should be killed for signing the stimulus bill.

The above cartoon spoof illustrates the larger conversation about racism that the Sean Delonas and the New York Post will not participate in or stand behind. Instead, the New York Post blamed Rev. Al Sharpton for being a publicity opportunist. The latter may be true. However, the Rev. Al Sharpton has taken the correct stance on this issue.

There is room for an individual to hide behind their art, images, and cartoons. They should just have to explain words behind them.

If the point was to incite. Then the cartoonist did his job.

Kissed by the Devil by Deshawn Taylor

I completed a book review on Kissed by the Devil by Deshawn Taylor. I liked the book because the characters were criminal minded and witty. One of the street hustles in the book was a basic ponzi scheme used to generate money at the top. Just like in the real life Madoff scandal, everything attached to the scheme crumbles. In the book, the character involved in the scheme loses his life. Bernard Madoff lives in his penthouse while on house arrest.

Deshawn Taylor is the author of From Poverty to Power Moves and a finalist in the BET Ultimate Hustler Show.

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Getting Out the Game by Omar Powell

Getting Out the Game by Omar Powell was a book review that I wrote for The Urban Book Source. The book had the right motivation but lacked execution. I hope the book review will help people interested in urban literature. I think that If the book was nonfiction, it could have offered more value for the reader.

Make sure to support Omar Powell with other upcoming projects.