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In a new study from New York City’s Health Department, there are varying discrepancies among the health of African/Caribbean immigrants and African Americans living in New York City. According to researchers African/Caribbean Immigrants seem to have fewer health problems, including asthma and obesity, in comparison to African Americans.

Some of the contributing factors may also include American born blacks are more likely to smoke, in comparison to blacks from other countries. Also, 53% of black Americans consider themselves drinkers, while 44% of Caribbeans and 34% of Africans claim to be drinkers. No group exceeded white New Yorkers, who at a rate of 70% , confess to being drinkers.

Although African-Americans have higher rates of obesity, asthma and high blood pressure, diabetes was the one disease that affected all three groups the same, at a rate of 13%.

Even though this is merely research done within the realm of one, very huge city, it is in line with previous research that has been done comparing the Black American diet to the traditional South African diet. In that particular study, issued in 2015, researchers found that when they switched Black Americans to an African diet, and switched Africans to an African American diet, there were some obvious changes. According to the study,

“Researchers performed colonoscopies on both groups and found that those in the African diet group increased the production of butyrate, a fatty acid proven to protect against colon cancer. Members of the American diet group, on the other hand, developed changes in their gut that scientists say precede the development of cancerous cells.”

You can read the entire study here, at ThinkProgress.

These studies, hopefully should come as no surprise to many African Americans, who are battling or currently know someone that is battling some kind of illness, which is more than likely linked to the foods we consume as a culture. Hopefully, with the influence of all of the “black girl magic” and “black power” reigniting itself within black culture, we can correlate that magic into our health and diet.

An organization called Oldways created theAfrican Heritage Diet Pyramid,this food pyramid promotes a diet that we as Black Americans should be partaking. This diet is rich in veggies, fruit, beans, herbs, spices, and traditional sauces.

Hopefully, with continued research and using what we already know about the foods we consume, will lead African Americans to eat like their Ancestors did, prior to slavery.

Sources:

New York Daily News

Think Progress

Syllabus Magazine

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

http://www.syllabusmagazine.com

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We truly feel like we would be doing a disservice to the community if we didnt let the people know that on June 19, 2015 – you can get your “Free Lunch”. No, this is not an actual free lunch, this is a lyrical and spiritual free lunch. A few weeks back, we were invited to a special listening session for the new album, and all I can say is that …. damnit! We got to get behind this – like now! Many of us from the Lowcountry, for whatever reason, are just catching wind of Benjamin Starr, but this artist has a unique sound that you simply will not find anywhere else. Born in the Lowcountry, its exciting to see an artist of this calibur. If you still love lyrics, content, wordplay and real messages but you appreciate moments of trap motivation laced with mixtures of consciousness- then THIS is what you need in your life. “Free Lunch” will be available June 19th for purchase on iTunes, Bandcamp and his website bennystarr.com.

Free Lunch Cover - Front

Free Lunch Cover-Back

Voted SC’s most “slept on” artist? Really? Y’all better #StayWoke – Just check out this new visual in this week’s edition of #RotationTuesday. I remeber when I heard THIS Devil’s Food Track, probably about a year ago and was like “Dayamm”, welp once again, Benjamin Starr will have you cussin…but only because ALLAH is so dope…enjoy!

Syllabus Magazine

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

http://www.syllabusmagazine.com

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I cannot tell a lie. I’m COMPLETELY TORN about my opinions regarding Jay Z’s new venture, Tidal. On one hand, if the rap mogul wants to charge users $20 bucks a month to stream high quality music, which allows other artists to get more of their fair share of revenues that they’ve earned, then there is nothing wrong with that, right? But, on the other hand if the majority of the public says $20 bucks a month for music they can get free anywhere else is ridiculous, then to each his own, correct?

The ONLY real issue I had with Tidal from day one was their choice of how they decided to market this brand. Marketing and Promoting in order to get a user to purchase a product is critically important to any brand. I believe his choice of marketing was simply – bad. Jay took the industry’s most successful artists, Nicki, Madonna, Kanye, Bey, etc – placed them all in one room, and told the public they need to get this service so that their favorite artist can make more money. Ok, that’s not exactly what he said, but once you break it down, THAT was the message.

Dear Jay and TIDAL: (1) Me and no other fan of music cares if Kanye or any other artist in the commercial goes from 40 million to 40.5 million if WE’RE struggling to pay our light bills tomorrow. WE DONT CARE!

Jay Z and the mediocre marketing folks at TIDAL decided to make THAT the premise – so that artists get bigger revenues. Why? So they can make more music about how much money they have? So they can shit on broke people even more in their songs? Damn, hope I don’t sound like a hater, but the general fan of music could care less about an artists increased bank account.

Jay Z talks about Steve Jobs and Apple, but here is what Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple did with their marketing. If you have ever watched an Apple commercial, you’ve hardly ever seen anyone famous featured in their marketing and branding. The commercials ALWAYS show everyday people, in everyday scenarios, doing fun things, looking cool, living a fun and adventurous life – and the Apple product is helping them achieve that. Yes, it could be total bullshit, but when a regular user like you or I, see a commercial with beautiful people, doing cool things and being productive all because of their IPhone, or Mac, or IWatch, then damnit, we want one too! THAT is the key of successful marketing – making it about the user, and THAT is where TIDAL made their biggest faux pas. Make it about the user Jay and not about you – and you will win. Let the people know how Tidal is going to better their music experience and benefit them, NOT HOW ITS GOING TO BENEFIT YOU.

(2) Another reason that I’m torn is because yes, I do believe that YouTube, Google, etc will do what they have to do to smear Jay and prevent Tidal’s success simply because he is now a music competitor and more prevalent in the eyes of the public, unlike many of the other CEOs of companies like Spotify, where the average person has no idea who’s the CEO. Its simply going to be easier to slander Jay Z and his endeavors. So when Jay says their is a smear campaign against him, I believe that and I think it sucks.

(3) I’m also torn because I am a true believer and proponent of entrepreneurship and honestly, I always want to see a black man win! I don’t want to see people knock Jay only because they think he already has too much money or because he’s black, or because he’s illuminati (laughs). At the same time honoring Steve Jobs or other CEOs that came from nothing to something. We should be able to root for Jay and his new endeavor. Jay says he refuses to shuck and jive, he refuses to let them treat him like a slave – hell, remember Jay said that on “H to the Izzo” :

Label owners hate me I’m raisin’ the status quo up
I’m overchargin’ niggaz for what they did to the Cold Crush
Pay us like you owe us for all the years that you hold us
We can talk, but money talks so talk mo’ bucks

(4) Yet another reason I’m so torn, is because now that Tidal is out here to be scrutinized, Jay is making all of sorts of references – all of a sudden, regarding Mike Brown, Trayvon and Freddie Gray. Hold up Hov… but where were you when we were marching and tweeting and protesting? If anyone Googles, we see a minimal amount of references to anything Jay Z has said in reference to these murders. We see minimal tweets about any of these issues during the times where we needed his voice the most. As a matter of fact, most of the stars shown in the Tidal commercial have hardly made any statements regarding these deaths. Beyoncé has made a few and posted some images on her Instagram, but a lot of major artists have distanced themselves from these tough issues. So, for Jay Z to make comparisons to the industry turning against him with references to these innocent black men, only to promote Tidal is yet another damaging faux pas.

(5) But lastly, I’m torn because I must agree that I see people (mostly black people on #blacktwitter) complaining that Jay Z is asking folks to pay $20 per month and how he is greedy. Yet we didn’t complain about Steve Jobs and those $200 IPhones we buy each time they release a new version, no one complained about the $400-15,000 IWatches that have been released, no one complained about Jimmy Iovine and the $200 Beats headphones, no one whines about Phil Knight or Mark Parker when they buy those $200 Jordans every month. However, everybody has something to say about the man, as Jay states in his freestyle – “The only one they hating on look the same as you”.

Basically I haven’t really solved ANYTHING by writing this post. For the super-fans that decide to pay $20 for Tidal, I believe they will get their money’s worth. I just think that people should simmer down and let Tidal breathe a little, its only been on the market for approximately 2 months. I hope Jay is successful and I hope he is more careful about his messages and marketing, which I believe could damage the brand. On a personal note, nope I do not want to pay $20 for a music streaming service (unless I find out I can get discounted concert tickets or something that’s going to save me money). Instead,I’m going to take that $20 a month and save it for my next overseas vacation. #shrugs In the meanwhile, check out Jay Z’s freestyle, its dope.

“So I’m the bad guy now I hear, because I don’t go with the flow
Don’t ever go with the flow, be the flow
And I don’t need no middle man to talk to my n—-s
I understand if you don’t understand, I figure I’m Jigga
That’s where we differ
I take what’s mine, you accept what they they give you, I get you
I don’t take no checks, I take my respect
Pharrell even told me go with the safest bet
Jimmy Iovine on for the safety net
Google dig around a crazy check
I feel like YouTube is the biggest culprit
Them n—-s pay you a tenth of what you supposed to get
You know n—-s die for equal pay right?
You know when I work I ain’t your slave right?
You know I ain’t shucking and jiving and high-fiving, and you know this ain’t back in the days right?
Well I can’t tell, how the way they killed Freddie Gray right?
Shot down Mike Brown how they did Tray right?
Let them continue choking n—-s,
We gon’ turn style, I ain’t your token n—-
You know I came in this game independent, right?
TiDAL, my own lane, same difference
Oh n—-s is skeptical about they own shit
You bought nine iPhones and Steve Jobs is rich
Phil Knight worth trillions you still bought those kicks
Spotify worth nine billion and they ain’t say s–t!
‘Lucy you got some ‘splaining to do’
The only one they hating on look the same as you…
That’s cool, I know they trying to bamboozle you
Spending millions on media trying to confuse you
I had to talk to myself, ‘Hov you used to it
It’s politics as usual”

Syllabus Magazine

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

http://www.syllabusmagazine.com

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We all know that Bill O’Reilly is the biggest media troll of all time, often stating claims and ideas that rouse up negative emotions in people, especially people of color. Well, this past week Bill did a great job again of getting the hip-hop industry all up in arms regarding his comments about rap music being one of the reasons that Christianity is on the decline. On a recent episode of The O’Reilly Factor, he discussed how Christianity is experiencing a large shrinkage in the number of believers. A poll explained that in 2007, of a sample of 34,000 adults, 78.4 percent claimed to be Christians, in 2014, this sample decreased in to 70.6 percent. Jews and Muslims on the other hand experienced a slight increase in believers. He goes on to say how the biggest growing segment were those who reject it, atheists and agnostics grew from 16.1 percent in 2007 to 22.8 percent in 2014.

Bill was doing fine with this news story, until he started explaining his reasons why. Bill stated, “There’s no question that people of faith are being marginalized by secular media and pernicious entertainment. The RAP INDUSTRY for example often glorifies depraved behavior and that often sinks into the minds of young people.” I believe we all know that Bill O’Reilly has no love for the rap industry, no love for the R&B or soul industry either, he has attacked so many artists from Beyoncé, to Camron, Jadakiss, even Ludacris, the list goes on and on (see Complex Magazine’s “O’Reilly’s All Time Wackest Hip-Hop Rants“). But again, O’Reilly minimalizes a problem and calls out 1 segment of society as the perpetrator of that problem, which is why it becomes to difficult to take FOX News as a real news source and not as propaganda.

Killer Mike decided to respond this past week on Bill Maher, not only explaining why O’Reilly’s claims are unfounded and simply silly, but Killer Mike goes on to break down the history and the basis of how hip-hop was started, and if people are really looking for reasons for the decline in religious Christian believers, perhaps they should take a look at their own major religions and their own governments and politics. Mike went on to explain how hip-hop for people of the X, Y and Z generations is the first and greatest influencer that showed us that WE can become successful and rich entrepreneurs, and how it truly taught us about entrepreneurship.

“Hip-Hop is not rap, hip-hop is the thing that houses rap, graffiti, break-dancing, deejaying and entrepreneurship. And what it did was give poor kids an opportunity to organize as an alternative to violence. Now fast- forward forty years; it worked, a lot of money came into it. Guys bought big chains and tigers, and lions, and bears and shit, and we got off course. But at the core of hip-hop, every time you see a successful rapper, you’re seeing a job-creator in our community. Jay-Z has created hundreds of jobs and created dozens of millionaires, and it’s changed the economy in places that it wouldn’t have been changes. “

He went on to talk about the success of Outkast and how they changed the course of the economy in Atlanta. I simply am loving Killer Mike and all of this speeches and articles lately (see his latest Huffington Post Op-Ed piece). Mike is definitely a key player in the world of entertainment, especially hip-hop. During a time where it feels like black people have to continuously explain themselves, their ideas, their culture, the talents to the masses and to other blacks (especially blacks who have become so “over-educated” they look down on their own culture and elements that have helped in shaping them) – Mike eloquently is able to put our music and our culture in a simple and colorful perspective; he’s able to offer a little history and some amusing “ah-ha” moments that enable folks to understand that issues are deeper than just rap music.

Check out Killer Mike and Bill O’Reilly’s statements below.

http://youtu.be/T5N6ouz0jy0

The O’Reilly Factor

Syllabus Magazine

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

http://www.syllabusmagazine.com
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