Meet the main characters of Camp '67

In 1967 Cathy Wilkes created Camp Hopenoke, an engaging safe space where children of all races or creeds could come together and learn to be friends in a world that was severely, racially divided. While the camp at large may not have had a lasting impact on all of the campers there were a few who took something away from their time at Camp Hopenoke… 

Nicky was shorter than most of the boys and even some of the girls in his grade. He didn’t care much about his appearance or his hygiene. Mr. Amoretti was a rather large man with a thick mustache and a head full of graying hair that he kept manicured. He owned two small car lots, a smoke shop, and was preparing to open up a bar. Sitting in the passenger seat was his wife and Nicky’s mother, Mrs. Amoretti. She was a very stunning woman for her age with brunette hair and a keen eye for fashion. While her husband worked Mrs. Amoretti played homemaker, happily raising their family in a sumptuous suburban lifestyle.

Nicky’s oldest brother Luca was 25 years old and lived out of town with his wife and newborn son. The Amoretti’s middle child Mike was preparing for his freshman semester at an out of state college in the fall. Nicky was very close to Mike and imitated everything he did. He looked up to his big brother like most boys would. Nicky wore the same jersey number Mike wore during his first year as a member of the town’s junior high football team. Even Nicky’s resemblance to Mike caused many of his teachers to mistakenly address Nicky by his older brother‘s name.

My Truth, My Fiction

Fiction is more than just a genre. It is most often a mirror that reflects the world of which we live in. Sometimes the fictional worlds that we consume can tell us more about reality than we can understand on our own.

Cleveland is the basis for all of my writing. I was born here, raised here and I hope to make a living here. Artists have always reflected on their lives through their work. Picasso’s “Terror and Annihilation” depicted his negative feelings towards WWI and it’s no secret that Spike Lee shares his sociological views through such films as School Daze and Do the Right Thing.

When I first decided to pursue creative writing I had no idea how much of my subconscious and memories would unlock themselves and become exposed on the page. I started off as a hopeful journalist in high school but by college I had figured out that I wanted to become an author and screenwriter because of the power of creativity.

My first short novel, A Summer In Harlem, told the story of 14 year old Beloit, Alabama native Thad as he traveled alone to Harlem during the summer of 1948 to visit his aunt and three cousins. Originally I was trying to create my own Gatsby-esque storyline. The story in turn ended up becoming a representation of the urban life I knew growing up in Cleveland’s east side neighborhood of Hough. Much like a drive from Downtown Cleveland into the upper east side the scenery is telling of Thad’s surroundings.

A Summer In Harlem, Chapter 2:
“In New York the entire street was filled with cars and buses and trucks. And it wasn’t just one street. On every street it seemed like there was traffic from one intersection to the next. Thad hoped the scenery in Harlem was as beautiful as this...

Blought #30: Obama's Cookout

In 2008 America elected its first black president, Barack Hussein Obama. He ran a successful campaign and completely obliterated senator John McCain. I remember that historic day like it was yesterday. I didn’t have to go to school because of an allergic reaction to something I ate the night before. I sat at home and watched King of the Hill reruns and Loverboy starring Patrick Dempsey and Kirstie Alley (Don‘t ask why).

When Obama became president every black kid from 17 all the way down to five probably realized it was possible to be or achieve whatever you worked hard for. At 17 years old, Brendan Whitt wanted something sensational. Obama was going to tell us all of the secrets. Why was the FBI stalking MLK right before he got killed?  Did the government create crack? Did American Jews receive reparations? Everything was going to be revealed.

I couldn’t wait to see Jay-Z shoot a video on the White House lawn. Most importantly, I was waiting to hear the first president say “nigga” on live TV. Like in a, “The Republicans still trippin’, so me and Joe said ‘fuck them niggas.’ And we got it done.” kind of way. The entire state house would have erupted in applause and cheers. Of course, I was wishful thinking.

Hipsters, Yuccies and the Black Urban Creative

America loves to bash hipsters

So the end of the hipster has finally arrived, or so they say. The (seemingly exclusive) white kid who attends college for a liberal arts degree of very little merit in this day and age who fashionably wears old dingy and ratty clothes and whose Ipod is filled with obscure indie bands that you never have nor ever will hear of has been replaced.

So I bashed them a little bit, but who doesn’t enjoy taking jabs at hipsters? The hipster has taken a back seat to the new young urban individual known as the “Yuccie”. The offspring of the Yuppie and Hipster cultures, Yuccies combine social awareness and enterprising creativity while tackling the new world around them.

Blought #26: Why Did Trump Meet With Black Pastors Anyway?

Trump (Center) accompanied by Dr. Darrell Scott (right)
Courtesy of: USAToday.com

 A few days ago Donald Trump shook up the media and news world when he announced that he had gained the support of 100 Black pastors and religious leaders from all over the country. Not long after that the facts became clear. Only about 50 or so pastors showed up to his meeting at Trump Towers with several of them signing endorsement cards for Trump‘s campaign.

What caught my attention was the fact that two pastors from Ohio were in attendance and here’s why. Ohio is usually a battleground state. Dividing the black vote has become a key strategy for the right wing with gerrymandering. Dr. Darrell Scott of New Spirit Revival Center Ministries Inc. based in Cleveland Heights, Oh was vocal in his support of Trump’s campaign.

Blought #23: What I Learned About Natural Hair

What does your hair mean to you? Is it a bunch of naps and tangles of frizz that you put up with? Or is it something that you enjoy maintaining and keeping up? There was a point in time where I got a haircut every two weeks to make sure my waves kept spinning. But it was just hair. Nothing more, and nothing less in my eyes.

A few weeks ago I was invited to a Natural Hair Forum at the Warrensville Heights branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. The event was hosted by J’ Twasha Kelley, organizer and founder of the Nappi Gyrls Hair Forum. She opened the event by sharing her personal journey to becoming natural. Going natural made her feel "liberated". "I was able to accept who I am" she said. "It was when life first started for me."

Cleveland area Zumba instructor and owner of Fitthickbreee, Brittany Jenkins encouraged the women to drink plenty of water and to start thinking about adopting a healthy diet. She discussed the importance of taking care of your body which will in turn benefit your hair’s health.

Brendan Whitt's 15 best Rapper-Actors

What separates a regular rapper from all other rappers? Film and television credits. As we get wrapped up in the personas of these rappers (e.g. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Diddy etc.) we have to remember that these guys and girls are entertainers. Look at the legends like Sammy Davis Jr. Dude sang, acted on screen and stage and he could dance. Now that’s an entertainer.

As Hip-Hop broke out onto the national scene as a new cultural movement, rappers began to be approached to star in films a television specials centered around this “new” culture. Some of the best actors of our generation started off as singers or rappers. Here is a list of my favorite rappers turned actors.

First here are my criteria for the list: 1. Must have a rapping credit befor an acting credit, 2. My personal opinion on cultural relevancy, 3. Only T.V., Film, Theater and Video Game credits count, 4. Individual success and critical acclaim.

WARNING: THE PICTURE QUALITY ISN'T THE BEST!

Blought #21: The Beauty of the 'Surf'

In life some of the things we enjoy the most are the ones that are best aged. We all love trends because they're fun and in this day and age we can quickly share them with others. For me the music that I enjoy most is the music that stays with me for a long period of time. Now I didn't listen to Surf by Donnie Trumpet (Chicago trumpeter Nico Segal) & The Social Experiment right away. Music to me is best enjoyed when all of the hype has died down. When all of the biased critics can subside and the internet fan boys can latch onto the next release.

With Chance the Rapper's name attached to Surf I knew that the Jazz infused Indie\Hip-Hop album would attract a bunch of hype. Once Sunday Candy dropped It still felt like Surf was only Chance‘s project, but it was more than that. Phil Hebblethwaite of NME stated Surf sounds "infectious, light and upbeat, but never inane. It begs you to feel included, and wide-awake", and I completely agree. All of the instruments, arrangements and guest spots reassure you that this was something that everyone involved clearly enjoyed.

Here is my brief track by track analysis of Surf:

Blought #19: Is Cultural Appropriation a Real Problem?

Is denying a white person the freedom to embrace
cultures outside of their own racists or justifiable?

This is probably as best a time to be African American as it’s ever been. The nation’s first black president is finishing up his second term, our music continues to dominate the airways and American pop culture and racists attitudes and remarks are finally becoming taboo in our society. As a black male in my early 20’s it’s great to know that I live in a country that is becoming more socially liberal and accepting of all types of cultures.

I do however find it counterproductive to our own cause as a race and culture to blast anything not black that would like to take part in our culture. I know cultural appropriation exists but is it always negative when a white girl wants to wear cornrows? How can hair braiding be cultural appropriation when cultures in Europe and Asia had their own braiding styles that most black hair textures can‘t achieve. The modern cornrow wasn’t worn until c. 1970. I know this question is becoming old but are you black women not appropriating white culture when you dye your hair blonde?

Authentic Issue - F*ck All That, Just Rap!

Cleveland rapper Authentic Issue released his latest project F*ck All That, Just Rap! on Audiomack last night. Click the link below to stream and download.

Authentic Issue - F*ck All That, Just Rap! - Download and Stream | Audiomack

A Refreshing Sound for Cleveland Hip-Hop

Cleveland rapper Authentic Issue is set to release his new mixtape titled “Fuck All That, Just Rap!”. He passed me two of the songs off of the upcoming project and I must say I was impressed. The Intro is a sobering reality of what Cleveland is going through during this time of transition. The public housing area known as Longwood or Down the Way, the area Authentic Issue calls home has gone through some drastic change over the past few years.

Go Support #YoungLangston on November 1st!!!

Later this week I will be launching an Indie Go-Go campaign to raise funds to print copies of A Summer In Harlem and When the Crows Come Home along with my promotional bookmarks and laptop stickers. Here is the promotional video for the campaign set to begin on November 1st. I will be posting a link for the campaign in the near future. Thank to all of my supporters, Peace...



 

Blought #17: The BET Hip-Hop Awards Suck!

So here’s the deal with BET. Viacom, the television  company that owns; Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and a bunch of other channels bought out BET for well over $2 billion in stocks around 2000. Reportedly the deal involved BET founder Robert L. Johnson becoming a major shareholder of Viacom. Blacks still call the shots but they answer to some white guy with quadruple their net worth to get advertising money which really pays television station bills and salaries.

This article isn’t here to get into all of that. It was just a backdrop to why I think the BET Hip-Hop awards blow. Granted, this year the awards did have to compete against the Las Vegas Democratic debate. But I mean let’s be honest here, the majority of Hip-Hop awards viewers aren’t into politics. I don’t need numbers to back that up, I live it.

Blought #16: How to Keep a Great City Great

This past Saturday I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Greater Cleveland chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist conference at Tri-C‘s auditorium. The NABJ hosted the conference, titled ‘Covering Comeback Cities. The list of speakers included  NBC WKYC-TV's Russ Mitchell, Fox-TV’s Charlie LeDuff of The Americans With Charlie LeDuff; Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge; Cleveland Mayor Frank L. Jackson; Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams; and Chuck Stokes, Detroit's WXYZ-TV Director of Editorial/Public Affairs and son of the late Mayor Louis

It was a great atmosphere for a young writer like myself  to network and make connections. It was also an opportunity to gauge where my city was headed. Before the first panel started  Mayor Frank Jackson took the podium to share a few words. He talked about how Cleveland has spent billions of dollars to upgrade the city and how that wouldn’t be enough. There is a cycle of “boom and decline” that has to be broken.  The Mayor finished up by saying that “A great city isn’t based on the billions spent. It is what we do for the least of it. We need to make prosperity available for all.”

Blought #15: You woke? Then go back to sleep...

African Americans are entering a pivotal time in history as is the rest of the world. Blacks are finally at the doorstep we’ve been searching for since arriving on this stolen property some 400 odd years ago. Yes racism and discrimination exists but now they have become void excuses. The only thing holding us back is ourselves. Blacks have excelled in everything imaginable form entertainment to business to technology. I preach about this often but now I’m officially addressing it. YOU FAUX BLACK ELITES NEED TO STOP IT!!

Blought #13: Nicki-opoly

Finding a generally popular female rap artist is like finding a black republican. It isn’t impossible but it is fairly difficult. When I say generally popular I mean a female emcee who can come off as appealing to a wide range of Hip-Hop fans. When Hip-Hop evolved from mainly just Dj’s to emcees actually spitting bars, women had a say so as well. Emcees like Queen Latifah and MC Lyte were spreading socially conscience rhymes with a feminist view.

When the mid 90’s rolled in artists like Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Da Brat, Trina, Eve and Foxy Brown all fought for their shine and the title of Queen of Hip-Hop. One by one they each began to fall off into obscurity. Da Brat and Foxy Brown quickly lost all traction and relevancy, Lil Kim and Trina stayed afloat until the mid 2000’s leaving Missy Elliot to claim the crown of Queen of Hip-Hop.

If you’ve read Blought, #9 ‘Damn, Shit Done Changed’, you heard the idea that over time Hip-Hop fans have forgotten or shunned previous generations. This past February Katie Perry performed during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show. Perry brought out the previous Queen of Hip-Hop Missy Elliot. Teenagers who are too young to remember Elliot and her slew of hits questioned who she was and even suggested Katie Perry would help her blow up… Really?

Unlike the 90’s, today’s female Hip-Hop scene is completely ruled by Nicki Minaj. Although Missy Elliot arguably won her era there was still an even playing field. With Nicki and her peers, it isn’t even close.

'Afro That Holds My Pick' from 'If I Wrote a Hip-Hop Album'

The Afro that holds my pick is more than just hair.
It serves as a symbol of strength for a displaced now mixed race of oppressed people.
When no one would call out the world’s big brother for what they had done,
we grew out our native kinks, picked them out,
and put our ebony fist in the air.
The Afro that holds my pick was worn when Conductor Cornelius,
led the country on a magical journey upon his train of soul.
When the sweet tunes of The Spinners, Ohio Players,
and The Commodores graced the radios of Black America
My pops and his niggas all rocked the simply coined “Fro”
The Fro I rock has purpose.
I bear the pain from every pull of my pick.
I know it don’t equal lashes
but it’s the best way to represent.
Now from beatin’s to hangin’s, to revolutions, to groovin‘,
not only is my Afro a hairstyle,
it also serves as a symbolic
historical text book for my people.
Ima sag my pants with the pick in my back pocket
to show where I’m from,
And use my pick to show what I’m Is.

Blought #7 'Avant Garde Hip-Hop and Why it Needs to Die'

Hip-Hop has now been around for nearly 40 years. The impact it has left on the music world is hard to put into words. It has spanned over numerous eras and has spawned many of its own sub-genres. Hip-Hop has seen it's Golden Age, Conscious Age, Gangsta Age, and now a new age. The rebirth of Hip-Hop that has taken place over the past five or six years is breeding a sound and culture I really don't like. Before I get into that let me do a little background.

In the early 2000's my favorite artist of "All Time!" broke onto the scene. Yes, I'm talkin' about Mr. Kanye Omari West. He not only brought millions of records and countless Grammys, he also brought his own style. Kanye has remained relevant thanks to his phoenix like approah. After every album Kanye was able to reinvent himself and bring a new and different styled Kanye to the table. This las go around he brought something my genration just won't let go of. This new Avant Garde style Hip-Hop. When Ye first did it, I won't lie. It was kind of cool. Heavy bass lines, choral like arrangements in the back ground, and his weird $600 leather skirts was something we all expected from the musical genius.

Sadly many of my peers have taken it too far. Many artist have taken to the sound and they bring nothing new. Just a recycled Kanye type product. Its okay for an entertainer to wear a leather skirt, but the average joe wearing Pyrex. You  look stupid. When did it become cool to wear over-sized hockey jerseys  that replace capital A's with capital V's with trim along the bottom that looks like black and white 1960's floral wall paper? Remember people, he's an entertainer, you are not. Only thing worse than you are hipsters, and America hates hipsters! So lets stop thinking we all can make the next HAM instrumental and stop with the Pyrex purchases and let this fad die. Avant Garde means ahead of its time. You're just recycling it.

Blought #2 'Mike and Us 90's Babies'

In recognition of His Airness’ upcoming 50th birthday, I've decided to share my thoughts on his impact of American culture in the eyes of a 90’s baby (I’m old enough to be nostalgic now).Other than  Kobe and Lebron most of us 90’s kids don’t have much memory of any other player who has dominated the game of basketball. I could bring up Shaq or Dirk but Kobe and Lebron are the only players comparable to MJ. By the time we could begin recollecting any memories of Mike he was past his prime and glory days. He was drafted in ’84, won his first ring a month before I was born, and  retired when I was about six. When you look at Lebron, the guy who has dominated the NBA since I was about twelve, idolized Mike. The guy who most kids looked up to in my generation, idolized the greatest ever. Talk about leaving your mark on the game.

MJ’s legacy isn’t exclusive to the court, but American culture period. One of my favorite movies ever starred Mike himself. In Space Jam, the world’s greatest basketball player was playing alongside Warner Bros. cartoon elite. Mike didn't put on an Oscar winning performance or anything, but watching that movie at five years old was better than an All Star game. The movie was so huge, it even garnered it’s own shoe, the “Space Jam 11’s”

It doesn't matter how much basketball you watch, how many times you’ve seen  Space Jam, or even if you don’t care about the man, the largest impact Jordan has left may be his shoes. His shoe brand has had 28 official player models and a few other models including the Phat and Spizike. Jordan and his shoe has dominated the sneaker culture for almost three decades. That’s a pretty impressive stretch. Kids who have never even seen him play line up for his shoes on those early Saturday mornings (I've been to my share of releases).

What else can you say, the man practically created the endorsement. He endorsed the hot dog you ate, the white t-shirt you spilled mustard on,  and created the shoe that had you wanting to be “like Mike”. Mike has not only left his impact on the game of basketball, but he’s left an impact on American culture as a whole. From my 90’s baby eyes, that impact is pretty big.