Monday, September 14, 2009: We are 3 days removed from the 8th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the nation paused to remember those who were lost.
We all respectfully mourned and recalled the tragic events of the day, but there were two other larger-than-life showings that appeared on my personal radar on 9/11/09. Then, as if that wasn't quite enough, there were three more blips that dominated my eye as the weekend wound down.
Footnote: Normally, when I guest blog, it’s based on a perfect storm of "happenstance" and ideal. These two entities smash into each other moving pretty fast, and they become a conceptual thought that ends up here. Thanks Brookey.
Here's the translation: something happens, I get an idea about the circumstance of what happened, it gives birth to a concept in this head of mine, and the thought blossoms here. I hope you can feel my process on that.
So, if you'll allow me to stretch my legs on this concept, let's get to it.
On Friday, 9/11, Michael Jordan was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The ultimate Basketball icon of our generation was being immortalized. He played the game, he changed the game, and the world now knows the symbol of a black man with arms outstretched and legs extended with ball in hand as the definitive insignia of Basketball excellence. Basketball was ours before, but this excellence was a fresh angle on what "people" had been doing for years.
On Friday, 9/11, Jay-Z released his 11th studio album, "The Blueprint 3" and played to a sold-out Madison Square Garden. With a star-studded lineup and the proceeds going to charity, Jigga put on a larger than life show in a feat of promotional and marketing genius. Jay-Z has indeed done it again with a CD chock full of bangers, but there was something else to viewing the concert that aired at a cleverly orchestrated 9 - 11 pm on 9/11.
Hip-Hop was ours before, but this excellence was another fresh angle on what "people" had been doing for years.
At this point, the day draws to a close. As I watched Jay-Z, I recalled his critics doubting his ability to endure; they questioned many of his musical directions, and cajoled him for some bad choices in some bad scenes here and there. With that said, Jay-Z's image has remained largely unscathed, and if you can name a more iconic rapper without the benefit of an acting career, I'm all ears. Jay-Z is complicated, yet magnificent. Think of it this way: ladies will openly admit to his deficiencies in the "attractive" area. They will tell you he's not a good looking dude. Yet they love his ability to make THEM believe that if you smell somethin' stankin, it’s him. He makes you believe he's the sh**…and he's a master at it. Inherently though, it is HIS belief in himself that makes this happen. If you've ever seen his concert film "Fade to Black," you know what I'm talking about. At one point following the recording of one track, you can witness Jay-Z feeling moved by himself. He listens to the lyrics he just laid down without benefit of having them written, and vibes with the sound of his own voice. He seems to bob his head with a look in his eye like "Oh my God…do you hear this dude?"
Meanwhile, I flip the channel to Jordan's acceptance speech on my DVR, which has been panned by many (and I'm no exception). While I'm watching, I couldn't help but reminisce on his sheer magnificence.
Make no mistake: Michael Jordan was a scintillating, creative, rhythmic masterpiece with a basketball in his hand. He possessed a competitive fire the equivalent of a towering inferno, and could impose his will upon an opponent at a moment's notice. Yet, he was complicated. There were many instances throughout his reign where his “greatness” was called into question off the court - only to be hushed, kept low and kept away from Basketball.
Rightfully so. We witnessed his genius with the subtle deficiencies, and one such deficiency revealed itself in his acceptance speech. The speech was laced with jabs at those who had wronged him throughout his career, with a few quiet stabs at those he deemed inferior to his ability along the way. For a frozen moment, I didn't dig him. It was as if this older Jordan had stolen the innocence of my younger fan-hood - and it became complicated again. While I went back and forth, he kept talking…and His Magnificence became more and more…complicated.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon - Eldrick "Tiger" Woods cruises to a victory at the BMW Golf Championship to solidify his status as the number one player in the world. We've talked about two examples so far, and Tiger Woods is now the 3rd complicated magnificent example of "how we do it."
You may ask, "Who’s we?" Well, ladies and gentlemen: it’s us…"The Black Man." Remember us? This is how we do it: Complicated Magnificence. Not only are we a force - in many cases we are THE force that moves the barometer of our respective crafts.
See, Tiger is undoubtedly a phenom; but it’s complicated. He's made some decisions along the way some of us may question (I'm sure you know one), but his genius with a golf club in hand is unparalleled. And that's where we're going here. The black man can be complicated, but when we deliver our magnificence, the world won't just know, the world will learn and HAVE to change based on what we bring forth.
Sunday night, the MTV Video Music Awards opened with a stunning, opulent tribute to the King of Pop. For the purpose of this blog, I'll call him the "King of Complicated Magnificence." There is no better example of the black man's complicated magnificence than Michael Jackson - A master of his craft, a tortured soul, a genius, and a relentless competitor against himself. The battles he fought within his own spirit churned out music and video imagery that has indeed reached every corner of the planet and redefined what's good and what's great.
And then, in the blink of any eye, our complicated magnificence turned on a dime again. Kanye West's piracy of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech set us back again. As magnificent as he can be, is as complicated as he is. One is diminished by the nature of the other. While his musical talent continues to evolve, he doesn't surprise us much anymore with his outbursts.
Every family has a “Kanye,” and this race is no exception. You know what I mean: The egomaniacal, conceited/convinced uncle who's always had a bit too much to drink at the family reunion. I call him my "drunkle." He always means well when he grabs the mic at the big gatherings, but 99.9% of the time, it will turn out - (in a word) horrible.
And that's just it. Our magnificence takes all kinds, and Kanye is no exception. We have another example that starts with the letter "R", but by and large, this weekend allowed me to reaffirm my own complicated magnificence.
We all possess it. This exact same magnificence that wags its tongue, that pumps its fist, that nicknames itself in triplicate, that moves crowds, that cuts some "labyrinth" design into our low haircut, that inspires people to action on the dance floor and at the community shelter.
This exact same magnificence can reshape the thinking of the highest office in the land. It can hike up the hem of the pants to accentuate the footwork, mature before our eyes, and be in a fly-by-night business 11 albums strong. It can set trends by the mere mention of what is done and NOT done anymore. It makes a baseball team's hat - THE HAT. It wears sequins. It inexplicably places an armband over a sport coat.
But, remember, this magnificence is complicated. From time to time, it will also go against the grain, it will appear "strange", it will speak improperly, it will set the wrong tone, and it might just come on stage at the wrong time. However, it moves within us - each and every one of us.
Memo to Kanye: You are complicated, but you are magnificent. Sometimes, you just have to simply be “you” to be magnificent. I understood the emotion involved, but I'm willing to bet money Beyonce's stirring, hellified performance of "Single Ladies" was ramped up a notch by her own competitive spirit. For what she didn't get, she didn't even need any motivation - but neither did Jay-Z, Jordan, Tiger, Michael Jackson, or you Kanye. Just be magnificent. I know it’s complicated, but Beyonce made a magnificent statement - and made things simple, not complicated - with an act of grace for the finale.
Memo to each of you and myself: We are complicated, but we are all magnificent. When this magnificence takes form, the world will know and the world will indeed shift in the face of the way we have changed it.
Thank you for the opportunity.
-Dmoe
