Grammar Lesson: NWA "Straight Outta Compton" Style

All examples (with the exception of one) were taken from NWA lyrics.

Using "Your" and "You're"

You're is a contraction of you are. 

Example: If you're at a show in the front row, I'm going to call you a bitch or a dirty ass hoe.

Your is a possessive pronoun. In other words, it shows ownership.
Example: When I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck.

Using "Its" and "It's"

The word its is the possessive pronoun for the pronoun it.
Example: Nothing can take its place.*

It's is a contraction for it is.
Example: To my homies it's funny, but that's what you get trying to play me for my money.

Using "There," "They're," and "Their"

There is an adverb meaning "that location."
Example: There's a lot of brothers out there flaking and perpetrating.

They're is a contraction of they are.
Example: I'm tired of these mothafuckers running around town, talking about they're from Compton and shit, trying to get on the bandwagon.

Their is a possessive pronoun.
Example: Their records only make good frisbees.

Using "Then" and "Than"

Then is an adverb that refers to time.
Example: Everywhere we go they say, "Damn NWA is fucking up the program" and then you realize we don't care.

Than is a conjuction used with comparisons.
Example: "Compton's in the House" was more than gold.

Using "We're," "Where," and "Were"

We're is a contraction for we are.
Example: Mothafuckas we're about to put some salt in your game.

Where signifies a location.
Example: They kill where the hiphop starts, forget about the ghetto, and rap for the pop charts.

Were is a past tense form of the verb be:
Example: Everybody's talking that crazy shit, saying they were raised in the CPT.

Using "To," "Too," and "Two"

To is a preposition or the first part of the infinitive form of a verb.
Example: It's time to start throwing rhymes.

Too means "very" or "also."
Example: That shit's wacky wack, too.

Two is the number 2!
Example: On the streets, there's two kinds of people, white rich fucks and the ones who get harassed like me.

My Raider Tattoo (May 2008)

 Many people, including some of those closest to me, dislike the fact that I recently got a tattoo that represents my love for the Raiders. The following isn't a justification for my tattoo; it's an attempt to explain not only the reasoning but also the meaning behind this lifetime commitment. But honestly, if you're not a Raider fan, you probably just don't get it.

For me, the Raiders, and my tattoo, represent more then just a football team; it is a way of life. As far back as I can remember, I have been immersed into the culture of the Raider Nation. From being born in East Los Angeles, where Raider murals are a norm on street corners (there is one on 8th a few block before Soto..), to watching games with my father, becoming a die-hard Raider fan wasn't an option, it was an expectation given to me at birth.


Personally, living the Raider life can be held accountable for many joyous moments throughout my existence. Nothing can compare to watching many Sunday games with my father, where hugs and hi-fives followed touchdowns and frowns and sighs followed fumbles. It represents rushing out to the local Taco truck on Florence Ave. during half time, where we sometimes encountered other Raider fans that were doing the same. It represents my mother complaining about the game taking so long, yet she would sit with us and gasp when a player got injured.

Nothing can compare to being 9 years old and sitting on the fifty yard line of a Raider-Broncos game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. (My sister worked there, her boyfriend was the manager of the Coliseum, so I got to go to many games). Feeling my seat shake as the crowd rumbled and roared after a touchdown made my heart race and made my little bones rattle. The unity and dedication of Raider fans at the games is something unexplainable; it's something you feel in the air and in your soul; its something untouchable yet incomparable to anything else. People say Raider fans are rowdy and rough, but for some reason, even at a young age, I was never scared amongst Raider fans, instead I felt right at home.

Nothing can compare to teaching my nephew Jacob to say "go Waidews" at the age of 2, or throwing on an oversized Raider jersey on my niece Isabel when she was 3.

Nothing can compare to our family "Carne Asadas" during a game, where a victory was followed by a Corona drinking fest, but so was a defeat! Our most recent backyard boogie consisted of Menudo before the game, a taco guy after, and a dj that stayed a lot longer then expected. The Raiders lost against the Vikings during this get-together, nonetheless I had so much fun dancing, drinking, laughing, and sharing happy times with some of the most important people in my life, my family, friends and loved ones. Had it not been for the game, who knows when so many of us would have gotten together.

It would take me writing a book to note every happy and sad moment I've had as a Raider fan, and even then I probably couldn't really explain what the love for a sport, and the love for a team has contributed to my years of life. Getting a Raider tattoo represents my commitment to my father R.I.P., my family, and my culture as jersey-wearing Chicana growing up in Los Angeles.

It represents my commitment and loyalty for many years to come, and many more memorable moments. I love the Raiders, but more importantly I love what my life has been as a Raider fan. So win lose or tie, Raider fan till I die…

My thoughts on Thankstaking... i mean Thanksgiving!

My thoughts on Thanksgiving...

The following is an explanation of the history of Thanksgiving. I am posting it because I think it's very important that we are conscious of the "truth" and understand the origin of our celebrations.
In my "perfect" world, I would boycott Thanksgiving, head up to Northern California and in solidarity join the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering". However, my world is not perfect, but more importantly for my family and myself Thanksgiving is one of the only times throughout the year when we all get together and simply just have a good time. So by boycotting Thanksgiving, would I be boycotting my family? I also know that there are some members in my family who would probably roll their eyes if I begin telling them the "truth". That's sad but true!
So my only solution is to attempt to spread the word as much as possible, and during Thanksgiving celebrate my beautiful family (whom I love dearly even though they roll their eyes at many of the things I say) and not celebrate the atrocities that occurred more than 500 years ago! And although I can't promise to fast that day, (I am a sucker for my sisters turkey and stuffing) I'll definitely cut back on my mom's candied yams (camote)!

Just a thought for those who care....


A Closer Look at Thankstaking by Ralph de Unamuno

In a few days we will all be getting ready to take a break from our studies and participate in the festivities of ..Thanksgiving.. day. Many of us will be going home to our families to devour a dinner, which could probably feed an entire village of Mayan refugee of the US/ Mexico ..Low- Intensity.. war in Chiapas, of turkey (or tamales), stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. The present holiday has been a time-honored tradition since President Abraham Lincoln institutionalized it so that it could be celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of every November. So why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What is the history behind this most ..thankful.. day? The origins of Thanksgiving are varied and with close inspection are much more malignant than a big tamale (or turkey) dinner.

For many of us this ..holiday.. was explained for the first time in elementary school as a celebration of prosperity in the ..New World... I..m sure many of you remember those cherished moments in the Kinder when the teacher would dress you up like Colonists and Indians, y yo con un nopal en el frente, would get stuck being the Pilgrim! The teachers recanted the stories of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims and how they triumphed over the cold winter and failed crops. These colonists were to serve as examples because their ..rugged individualism.. set the foundation for this nation. This, unfortunately, marks the beginning of the first of many lies and half-truths taught to us in school about how this Western Empire was established. For our purposes, we must go back in time a little further to see that the origins of November twenty-fifth is in fact much older than the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, subsequently we must go to VIII century Europe.

In the 8th century the Muslims (Moors) conquer Spain, Portugal and France and controlled it for over 700 years. These people threatened European Christians, meaning: Western Civilization. It was not until the late 15th century that in Spain on November 25, 1491 Santiago defeated the last Muslim stronghold in Grenada. On this day King Ferdinand gave thanks to God for this victory and the Pope of Rome declared this day to forever be a day of Thanksgiving for all European Christians. Rass Kass in ..Nature of the Threat..states that: ..When you celebrate Thanksgiving, what you are actually celebrating is the proclamation of the Pope of Rome, who later in league with Queen Isabella, sent Cardinal Ximenos to Spain to murder any African that resisted Christianity... These genocidal policies were justified by Pope Nicholas in the Inter Cetera Papal Bull of 1452, which called for the King of Portugal ..To invade, search out, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans, whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ... These
are the religious and political motivations that formulated the white supremacist mindset that was the foundations for the economic colonization of the Americas and its Native peoples.

Thanksgiving in the United States of Amerika is a part of this tradition that celebrates the subjugation of non-Western people for colonial purposes. Its roots are more directly connected to the events that occurred in the Northeastern United States in November of the year 1637, when 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot Tribe, gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as Groton, Connecticut. While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indigenous people were ordered from their ceremonial structures and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were burned alive in their homes. The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared a day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 Pequots. Subsequently, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor or President since was to honor that victory, thanking God that the ..battle.. had been won. The holiday on the 3rd Thursday of November we celebrate is in observation of that massacre and upholds the colonial mentality of this nation-state.

How will you celebrate Thankstaking day? Many Native People fast on Thankstaking in remembrance of those who were murdered in the process of the Western expansion of Europe. In the Bay Area, Indigenous peoples and allies from across the continent have gathered for many years to observe the day with a sunrise ceremony, organized by the International Indian Treaty Council on Alcatraz Island. Starting at 4:30 AM, thousands of people take ferries from Fisherman..s.. Warf to the Rock to participate in this ceremony; this is done to remember our ancestors and to reaffirm the struggle to resist Western colonization. Alcatraz maybe a little far and for others, while missing dinner with the family is not an option. Well, let..s look at what that stereotypical dinner contains: Turkey (or tamales), Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Cranberries (sauce), and Pumpkins (pie), are all foods that were found only in the Americas prior to 1492. Thankstaking dinner is a collection of foods indigenous to the Americas. In fact, Europe, Africa, and Asia would have had a hard time prospering without the nutrition they derived from the "New World". This Thankstaking I hope you all take time to remember our ancestors, all the contributions that our people from Alaska to the tip of Tierra del Fuego have given the world, and for nuestra voluntad to resist colonization, and for our ability to persevere with dignity- despite 508 years of Western oppression!

* For more information on the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering", on
Alcatraz Island, S.F., CA.  Call: IITC
Information Line (415) 641-4482

** For more information on Native American contributions to the world see
Indian Givers: How The Indians of the Americas Transformed The World by
Jack Weatherford

Thoughts on my fathers death (Saturday, August 08, 2009)

Today is the anniversary of my fathers death, and if you didnt personally know him, then this blog doesnt even matter to you, just stop reading it. There are only a handful of people that would truly understand what im writing about, and you know who you are.

Maybe something is wrong with me, maybe I cant cope with things the way others can, but till this day, I will never never ever accept or be ok with the fact that my father had to die. Till this day, a picture of him makes me cry, till this day, i replay in my mind over and over good times we had, or the things he would say, or anything about him cuz only that makes me feel better.

Till his last breathing moment, he tried to survive, he wasnt ready to go.  Cancer invaded his body and stole him from us, and the only thing in my eyes that has justified his death is the fact that he is no longer suffering, because i wouldnt want him to be suffering the way he did. But thats it, there is no other reason why he had to die at such a young age, 62 fucken years old, a month before he was going to retire. 

So like I said till this day, i dont see anything beneficial about him dying. i dont understand when people tell me he is in a better place. FUCK THAT! he is not in a better place. His place, where he should be, the best place he could ever be, and believe me when i say, if he had a choice the ONLY place that he would want to be is here with us, its here, next to me - his baby, and next to his other daughters, and next to his wife of 35 years, and next to his grandchildren. All his fucken life all he ever did was work work work so that we could have a home to live in and we could have food and we could be comfortable, And he worked so hard so that my mom could have a nice car and cute clothes, so that i could go to a private school, so that he could go on family vacations when my sister lived in germany and then on other vacations with isabel and jacob.  He didnt care to work double shift, or wake up at 4 in the morning sometimes even on weekends. His love was unconditional, it was the old school kind, it was real.

So you tell me hes in a better place? NOPE, He should be able to have gone to Jacobs baseball games, and he should have been able to dance with his "favorite" granddaughter at her quinceanera, and he should have been able to see Joseph and Richard graduate, and even though i dont have children yet, he sure as hell should have been able to meet and kiss and hug my firstborn if i ever have one and any children thereafter! He should be here to celebrate my moms 60th bday in a few weeks the way we celebrated his, and this past week, HE should have been the one going with my mom to Vegas, not anyone else.
 
He should be here rooting me on as i attempt to complete my master cleanse diet, just like he rooted me on for every fucken idiotic thing i ever did in my life. He was the only person in this whole wide world who loved and accepted and was proud of me for me, ...that kind of unconditional love that no matter what i did, or how i fucked up, or how i hurt his feelings, his love was always there. He loved me even if i once ran away from home, or cuz i didnt graduate college on time, or cuz i gained a million lbs and looked fat, or cuz i cried over a boy, he was always there, to him i was beautiful no matter how i looked or what i did, i could have been a crack head, and maybe he wouldv whooped my ass, but he would have still loved me., to him i was everything, and he felt like that about his wife, his daughters, and grandchildren .

And if you want to call me selfish for wanting him here because i need him and because he always made me feel better then go right ahead, Guilty as charged, im selfish. Its not my fault he was always there for me and got me used to it. I know for a fact that no matter what i wouldv done or said, he would have never abandoned me like others did when i was in a wheelchair after my accident, and i wish i could ask for his advice about my love life, or about issues at work, because even though he didnt always have the right answer, he always, somehow made me feel better, and made me feel like no matter what, things would be ok.
(*although about my accident im very lucky to have had my sister isabel take care of me with the same unconditional love and to have jacob and mike and raymond there for me in az helping me out and taking me places and wheeling me around i couldnt have done it without them and here in cali my sister betty)

Im not ungrateful, and i know im lucky to have had a father figure in my life, and i know im lucky to have had him in my life for twenty five years, and i know i lucked out to have had him as a father. And he taught me unconditional love, and that is what i have for my family no matter what. But regardless of that, or maybe because of it, i will never get over it. I wouldnt wish the pain i felt when he died upon my worst enemy.  And no, my life has never and will never be the same. and, nope, not everything happens for a reason, because i dont see any good reason for him dying, or missing out on our lives. And yeah, its been four years, but i feel like it was yesterday. And im angry, and sad, and i cry, and miss him so fucken much. And i wish i could just hug him, or tell him how much i love him. And yes, i get jealous when people have there dads on fathers day cuz i wish i could bbq with my dad and take him to eat and buy him a cheesy tie. And maybe im wrong for not coming to terms with his death, but i cant control what my heart feels. and my only consolation is hoping that maybe one day, when i dye, i will be with him again.

R.I.P. Genaro B Topete

Your life wasnt lived in vain, there are still some of us who are keeping you alive as long as we live.

Running... (Poem writtten on a dark night when insomnia took over)

I want to run away but have no where to run to
Don’t ask where im going; I don’t have a clue
I try to run forward but sometimes sprint back
My legs keep on moving but I’m on the wrong track
I’ve run into death but even death didn’t want me
And the nightmares repeat they continue to haunt me
And the memories of happy continue to taunt me
I’m running from strangers that just look at me and stare
I’m running from pretenders that have pretended to care
Sometimes I run circles; I go around and around
But there is no destination my way hasn’t been found
When will I be happy, when will I no longer pretend?
Can somebody tell me when going no where will end?
ive often heard good things come to those who wait
But im tired of waiting my hopes barely stand straight
It seems like my future will be my past’s identical twin
Cuz looking back in my rearview all I see is chaos within

-A.T. 10/09