5) Dead Prez: Yes, this isn't one person... it is two. Oh well. They are a politically drawn Hip-Hop group that resides in New York but got their start in good ol' Florida. Some of their lyrics focus on veganism, institutional racism, governmental repression, and corporate control over the media. The first song I ever heard by them was "Hip-Hop" which is on their 2000 album Let's Get Free. I'm sure a lot of people have heard this song and group and don't even know it. Anyone who watched The Chappelle Show has heard it, or at least the instrumental version which is the show's beginning theme song.
Later, I heard it again with Static-X making me fall in love with the song once again. Recently, they released the song "Politrikkks" which is off their next coming album, Information Age. This will be their first album since...2004... damn. The track is about... well, as the name says, politics. It's a pretty good song with an interesting message for anyone who wants to hear it. I just hope stic.man and M-1 haven't made their fans wait years for nothing, like other musicians do...4) Phil LaMarr: Born on the greatest day of the year, this actor/voice actor comes in at number four. Phil got his start as small roles, one being Marvin in Pulp Fiction... anyone remember that guy? The scene was awesome. Later, he landed a role on MadTV and got to reprise the role of Marvin in a parody of Pulp Fiction. He was with MadTV up until 2000. During which time, he appeared in Bio-Dome and did voice acting for shows, one of my favorites being Hermes in Futurama.
This man voice acts so many characters from shows I love it's amazing. I absolutely love sharing a birthday with him, January 24th is a day for funny, amazing people. I wish I could have dinner with him and another great comedian who I share a birthday with (John Belushi)... but if I did... he'd be a zombie and I'd feel awful if he ate Phil for dinner and I killed an actor I was impressed with who killed another actor I was impressed with... then I'd go zombie hunting and look for another great black actor to help me out... Vingh Raymes.
3) Grandpa Ellis: I don't know as much about this man as I'd like, what I do know is he was a father figure to my father, and is my grandfather. Through most of my dad's life, Ellis was there helping him through it. And throughout my life, he was here to tell jokes, as hard as it is to understand sometimes with his thick Jamaican accent, cook some amazing food, and let us hang out in the swimming pool on our visits. He is a very interesting person and the only reason I do not know more about him is I am barely around him and sometimes it is hard to understand him, but I love him a lot none-the-less.
2) D.H. Peligro: Born in St. Louis, Missouri, real name Darren Henley, D.H. was a drummer for the band Dead Kennedys back when Jello sang, and years later too. He tooka hiatus from the band in 2008 saying he wanted a break from touring. Being one of the first black people I ever knew in a punk band, I instantly fell in love. His drumming was, and is, absolutely amazing! Being a political band just helped fuel the fire in my heart. He spent most of the 80's in DK, from 81-87. Also, after the untimely death of Hillel Slovak, guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, D.H. briefly took over on drums while Jack Irons quit to grieve.
From 2001-2008 he was back in DK minus frontman Jello after some court battles, which awarded D.H. and other DK members 100,000 dollars each. D.H. also leads (backs?) a band called Peligro. Playing the drums while doing lead vocals. I remember being in high school listening to Too Drunk To Fuck during a Calculus exam, sharing headphones with my friend, later he told me how at a DK show he went to, there where some Nazi-punks that just stopped in their tracks at the sight of a black drummer on stage. To this, the crowd began screaming, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" and jumping around as the band played. What I wouldn't have given to see them live. D.H. will always be one of my favorite, most energetic drummers, hands down.
1) George Washington Carver: Born in January of 1864, Carver was dubbed the "Black Leonardo" by Time Magazine in 1941. He was a genius... he was a poet, an artist, a botonist, he mentored children, and more importantly, he underminded the stereotype that the black race was intellectually inferior to the whtie race. The reason he's my number one though, is well-known amongst people who know me, his 145 peanut products. I am a lover of peanuts and peanut butter, and a lot of that wouldn't have been possible without the help of this genius, this... "Black Leonardo".
He did so much for agriculture, helping white people realize we're not intellectually superior to anyone just because of our skin color, and finding me my comfort food.
This week, rather than make a Lame of the Week, which would be Obama... although his speech was grand he interrupted my favorite two shows, I decided to show my love for close contenders. Mostly, they are Whole Wheat Bread. These people make amazing music and are from an amazing city, Jacksonville. No matter who they have on bass, and for whatever reason the bassists left, even for incarciration, this band blows my mind with each record. Their newest one, Hearts & Hoodlums is out now and their video for "Bombs Away" is pretty awesome. An all around great album from a band that's basically described as, "Dirty South Punk Rock". Check them out, and learn more about tons more black people this month. Famous or not, hell, just go out and strike up a conversation with someone, learn their family history, they're history, or even their dreams for the future. Because, eventually, their future will be their past, and maybe they'll be a part of history too.
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