“Success never smelled so sweet. I stink of success, the new black elite. They say my black card bear the mark of the beast. I repeat, my religion is the beat. My verse is like church, my Jesus piece. Now please, domino, domino. Only spot a few blacks the higher I go. What’s up to Will? Shout out to O. That ain’t enough, we gon’ need a million mo’. Kick in the Door, Biggie flow. I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go.” Jay-Z & Kanye West, “Murder to Excellence,” Watch the Throne, 2011.
BALANCE, HARMONY, RECIPROCITY. And one, and two, and you know what to do…

Good morning Daily Dosers. It’s Zaneta again. Second in command holding it down for Dr. Joyce. She’s getting ready to bounce from Morehouse College to Harvard University for a fellowship at the Dubois Institute’s Hip Hop Archive, and decided to let me “watch the throne” for a few days. Get it? Watch the Throne. Also, Dr. Joyce and I don’t always agree. So she’s agreed to let me roll with my own ideas. Thanks DJ. Anyway, speaking of throne watching, looks like Jay-Z and Kanye are catching hell from the Huffington Post about this “Otis” song. Did you see Chuck-D’s response called “Notice”?

Perhaps they are struggling with the lesson of humility. Or maybe they wanna flex a lil bit. Is anything wrong with stuntin’? Maybe it’s just bad timing when so many people are hurting and literally dying from starvation in Somalia. Yes, Carter and West have worked hard and are above average at their craft. Does that qualify them to make loads of money and then rap about their elite status? Maybe. Only in America can you come from the projects or a single parent household, become a billionaire, and be recognized as the latter. In Britain, for example, you are always judged by where you come from no matter how much wealth you obtain. Remember the frequent reference of Princess Kate Middleton as a commoner when engaged to Prince William? I, personally, don’t think it is Jay-Z and Kanye’s fault that they chose a career that America values more than education, healthcare, or veteran benefits. Now do they have to flaunt their success? No, they can save that. But, Watch the Throne’s breaking of iTunes record downloads tell me that we like the way they flaunt. Or are at least curious. I know I do. I love to hear Jay rap “I stink of success, the new black elite” on “Murder to Excellence” because it is going to take more than rappers and producers not flaunting to change America’s values of excessive materialism. Sidebar: Why the title “Murder to Excellence”?

The DDR: An unknown person once said, “Your complaints are not over the lack of necessities, but the abundance of benefits. You bellyache…over benefits not essentials. The source of your problem is your blessing.” Today let us not complain or flaunt, but be grateful for our blessings. So one, and two, and you know what to do… START COUNTING.