Lil Baby's story about receiving the big picture is one that should be available to everyone. Knowing your personal, local, statewide, national and, global history is another way to do that. A person shouldn't have to become a star to understand what's outside of "the trap". History can help with that understanding. I have been many places in the world and I can tell you, as a student of history, knowing about other places and and using that knowledge to converse with people helps one get along in both friendly and hostile environments. Require more history in school and include more history in our culture.
LiL Baby is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to being trapped in the trap. There are hundreds if not thousands of POC’s who will never ever get out. The sad part about everything he said is that it was like his eyes were opened to a whole other world. This is America and yet he described the trap like it was a third world country. Your interview LiL Baby has probably enlightened a lot of people. Thanks for another great piece and pulling back the curtain exposing what we all try so hard to ignore. #poverty #thetrap
I watched your whole interview this weekend, and I was so impressed how he doesn't write down the lyrics to his songs. He just speaks from deep in his soul from his experiences in his life. He is a humble young man. I also read the lyrics for the Bigger Picture the "clean version". So sad that people don't try and understand what the black communities are dealing with every day of their lives. Growing up, I lived in a small town where the hispanics were the minority, and we felt inferior to the white population. Though we never experienced any violence, we still felt the discrimination. Things never change. After last summer, I felt things are going to be different, but unfortunately they're not. Thanks Ari!!!🙏
I did play the interview and the video, and read the lyrics after your interview with Lil Baby last week. Homework! At 26 he’s wise beyond his years, grounded, realistic and seems genuinely nice. Then there’s his talent. He’s the kind of person that can truly influence others because he’s an example of how you can control your life and take charge of your direction. Everyone can relate. Thank you for bringing him to my attention, more than just a name I’ve heard. And thank you once again for your continued superb and meticulous coverage on Covid and vaccinations last night. It ties into BLM because vaccination rates are so poor in this population. A true public service I’m sure Lil Baby appreciates!
Truly the trap applies to my rural town ! I worked for social services I was trusted by those in the trap I took care of their kids and gave them outdoor experience to widen their scope These kids never thought they would. E able to climb the rock wall, ride care for and control the horse, paddle the raft or learn skills to negotiate what they wanted. They all exceeded their own expectations and those of their families. The lil baby is truly amazing and compassionate. He is a great example to his community and the world ! Focus work hard and look ahead there are endless possibilities ❤️🙏
Excellent article on Reform/ BLM anthem and Lil Baby. I didn’t know anything about Lil Baby till you interviewed him. And I checked out the video of his hit BLM anthem. I like the interesting and excellent point you made about escaping poverty and what it could have been if him and other people were provided opportunity (the last paragraph of the article).
Side note: Ari, I just want to share that my mom went to the same high school as Marvin Gaye (It’s Cardozo High School, Washington D.C.)…my parents played Marvin Gaye’s albums when I was younger and this is how I knew about his political songs.
Thank you Ari for bringing this interview back to light. This newsletter is just as current now as it was back then. I never heard of Lil Baby until a couple of days ago. He seems like someone who is wise beyond his years. Also he sounds like a phenomenal hip hop artist.
Hearing Lil Baby speak of the trap and entering the world made me gasp. Gasp because he is one very talented person who has made it into the world. I work with children and their families in the trap. I try desperately to give people the tools they need to value themselves, find their passions and skills and somehow get out of the trap More often than not, this happens through art, be it through dance, visual arts or music. Not to become famous, but to live happy and healthy lives. I never lose sight of the fact that marginalized human beings have to work that much harder to get anywhere, starting with getting out of the trap.
That was a breathtaking interview Ari. Thank you for continuing to enlighten us.
I loved your interview with Graham Nash! CSN&Y is still my favorite band. They spoke to me thru high school & college, even now I still am a huge fan. Teach Your Children is still my life’s motto💗
Hi Art. I think "The Bigger Picture " is blueprint for the route to take for social reform. His even keel postion oin policing maks sense. He says he was "trapped" but now he is not. The changes we need will not come overnighte but lets start now. He uses his power to inspire others.
I'm texting you as you asked me too. I'm sorry I missed you in Douglas, had I known I would have stuck around to see you. Maybe I could have shared my understanding of Democracy and its divinity. Everybody talks about it but words are inexpensive and nobody breaks it down. Saying democracy is Devine is little more than a platitude anymore but breaking it down can be done.
One could easily imagine that having an explanation that lucidly ties democracy to Christianity, Buddhism...and all religions more or less can and would serve a purpose in this moment that we face as a nation/world of lost unmoored minds. We individually live in a state that makes this hard to see. Understanding a big picture is a bit like understanding one of those big homes. To see and understand its layout clearly you have to walk through all the rooms one by one to make up the whole picture, it takes a moment or two. However, using the analogy or metaphor of democracy aids and moors the mind into a framework that can assist in holding a space in one's mind in the same way a walkthrough in a big house can. This can be done through the realization of democracy where democracy is akin to the house, we can know it. The problem we face is nobody sees democracy. We see it but that isn't knowing it anymore than a self professed Christian knows the mind and heart of Christ while they support taking a child away from their mother. It's self evident we are lost and unmoored.
My singular aim is to make a few bridges and clear the confusion generally so as to form a more perfect Union. The strings binding our Union have been eroded and are breaking. Look no further than a Governor pardoning a murderer where the citizens chose to lock him up for fear of their life. The Governor of Texas decided his will was what he was going to serve and to add insult to injury the killer was a bigot. Imagine that, a governor spitting in the eyes of the citizenry telling them I don't like some of you and your skin color so I'm going to set him loose to kill again? Do you see? Do you see how deeply anti Union this is? I think the Christian Bible describes it as dividing. What's that called?
What if there was a force unleashed on this earth that cast peoples minds about and divided them, what would you do? If you're not seeking to buttress democracy then you're living for yourself alone and do not see what you are a part of, it's unbeknownst to you. Let's show people what they are a part of and moor the younger generations' minds into something that cannot be taken from them like Donald Trump and the GOP are currently attempting to do. These people cost me over a hundred thousand of my neighbors who are now dead, does that bother you? Do you see a problem? If so, let's start a broader conversation. I leave it to you.
If you're curious enough to look further you can read comments I've posted over the last several years where most of it is just political ranting but mixed in are some of the deepest insights around given. There's over a novels worth mostly. It would appear to be wasted online.
The Secretary of the Interior knows by some measure about what is spoken too. Her ancestors know exactly what is being spoken too. I however do not know her personally but I see the Indigenous and what the unbreakable identity they rest in means. What they rest in is a bed of roses given to them by their elder Holy people. Their minds will never wander from what they are through the teaching of the Holy ones. The younger generations are losing this connection by some measure and are getting lost in thought and are not able to discern the difference. Let's bring it back shall we?
Can you have a conversation about this? I'm speaking to all of us, do you see that or do you only see what's in your mind?
Fox News has been 24/7 grooming half of America to vote for the interest of the billionaires. Why because it pays! They have systematically lied to America, been found guilty, had to pay nearly 1 billion dollars. Yet the Republicans cannot see the forest for the trees this behavior has not changed. There has never in my life been a wholesale attempt on democracy by a clear criminal who at every turn has used every trick in the book to overthrow our democracy and sell out our country for the highest dollar. Now the paid for Republican Party has placed a Felon as their parties candidate, and groomed them that the Justice system is corrupt. The majority of the right wing are low income and easily swayed citizens. The rest do not want to share their wealth as has been our way to operate and make the much needed changes to this country.
I grew up as a boomer in a very conservative family that afforded me the education and insight into how the other half lives. We have come through the eye of a needle. We now have micro chips, computers, cell phones, we have battery automobiles, we are cleaning our carbon foot print by hook or by crook. We have paid the price while these generational wealthy few prefers gauging the majority. Do not believe they will leave America! They will reconnoiter and pay to enjoy living and selling in the worlds top country ruled by the people for the people!!!
There is much to look forward to Premium Universal Healthcare. If Robots take our Jobs then a we will have above average monthly income for the displaced. We need our higher education paid for to ensure we benefit from our own people. Need our crippling infrastructure brought back as well as implementing High Speed Trains and other modernizations. If not now when we are flush with money, when? We have jumped by leaps and bounds now is the time.
Lil Baby's story about receiving the big picture is one that should be available to everyone. Knowing your personal, local, statewide, national and, global history is another way to do that. A person shouldn't have to become a star to understand what's outside of "the trap". History can help with that understanding. I have been many places in the world and I can tell you, as a student of history, knowing about other places and and using that knowledge to converse with people helps one get along in both friendly and hostile environments. Require more history in school and include more history in our culture.
Thank you for your lessons on rap appreciation.
LiL Baby is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to being trapped in the trap. There are hundreds if not thousands of POC’s who will never ever get out. The sad part about everything he said is that it was like his eyes were opened to a whole other world. This is America and yet he described the trap like it was a third world country. Your interview LiL Baby has probably enlightened a lot of people. Thanks for another great piece and pulling back the curtain exposing what we all try so hard to ignore. #poverty #thetrap
I watched your whole interview this weekend, and I was so impressed how he doesn't write down the lyrics to his songs. He just speaks from deep in his soul from his experiences in his life. He is a humble young man. I also read the lyrics for the Bigger Picture the "clean version". So sad that people don't try and understand what the black communities are dealing with every day of their lives. Growing up, I lived in a small town where the hispanics were the minority, and we felt inferior to the white population. Though we never experienced any violence, we still felt the discrimination. Things never change. After last summer, I felt things are going to be different, but unfortunately they're not. Thanks Ari!!!🙏
I did play the interview and the video, and read the lyrics after your interview with Lil Baby last week. Homework! At 26 he’s wise beyond his years, grounded, realistic and seems genuinely nice. Then there’s his talent. He’s the kind of person that can truly influence others because he’s an example of how you can control your life and take charge of your direction. Everyone can relate. Thank you for bringing him to my attention, more than just a name I’ve heard. And thank you once again for your continued superb and meticulous coverage on Covid and vaccinations last night. It ties into BLM because vaccination rates are so poor in this population. A true public service I’m sure Lil Baby appreciates!
Truly the trap applies to my rural town ! I worked for social services I was trusted by those in the trap I took care of their kids and gave them outdoor experience to widen their scope These kids never thought they would. E able to climb the rock wall, ride care for and control the horse, paddle the raft or learn skills to negotiate what they wanted. They all exceeded their own expectations and those of their families. The lil baby is truly amazing and compassionate. He is a great example to his community and the world ! Focus work hard and look ahead there are endless possibilities ❤️🙏
Excellent article on Reform/ BLM anthem and Lil Baby. I didn’t know anything about Lil Baby till you interviewed him. And I checked out the video of his hit BLM anthem. I like the interesting and excellent point you made about escaping poverty and what it could have been if him and other people were provided opportunity (the last paragraph of the article).
Side note: Ari, I just want to share that my mom went to the same high school as Marvin Gaye (It’s Cardozo High School, Washington D.C.)…my parents played Marvin Gaye’s albums when I was younger and this is how I knew about his political songs.
Thank you Ari for bringing this interview back to light. This newsletter is just as current now as it was back then. I never heard of Lil Baby until a couple of days ago. He seems like someone who is wise beyond his years. Also he sounds like a phenomenal hip hop artist.
Hearing Lil Baby speak of the trap and entering the world made me gasp. Gasp because he is one very talented person who has made it into the world. I work with children and their families in the trap. I try desperately to give people the tools they need to value themselves, find their passions and skills and somehow get out of the trap More often than not, this happens through art, be it through dance, visual arts or music. Not to become famous, but to live happy and healthy lives. I never lose sight of the fact that marginalized human beings have to work that much harder to get anywhere, starting with getting out of the trap.
That was a breathtaking interview Ari. Thank you for continuing to enlighten us.
Thank you! Yes interesting to listen to his views on his journey
Thank you Ari, and Shout-Out to LIL BABY!.
Thank you sugar, and I love uou Ari.
Excellent article! Love The Beat too!
I loved your interview with Graham Nash! CSN&Y is still my favorite band. They spoke to me thru high school & college, even now I still am a huge fan. Teach Your Children is still my life’s motto💗
Why isn’t anybody talking about the medical costs of the unvaccinated in our hospitals
Hi Art. I think "The Bigger Picture " is blueprint for the route to take for social reform. His even keel postion oin policing maks sense. He says he was "trapped" but now he is not. The changes we need will not come overnighte but lets start now. He uses his power to inspire others.
A vision sent to the VP:
I'm texting you as you asked me too. I'm sorry I missed you in Douglas, had I known I would have stuck around to see you. Maybe I could have shared my understanding of Democracy and its divinity. Everybody talks about it but words are inexpensive and nobody breaks it down. Saying democracy is Devine is little more than a platitude anymore but breaking it down can be done.
One could easily imagine that having an explanation that lucidly ties democracy to Christianity, Buddhism...and all religions more or less can and would serve a purpose in this moment that we face as a nation/world of lost unmoored minds. We individually live in a state that makes this hard to see. Understanding a big picture is a bit like understanding one of those big homes. To see and understand its layout clearly you have to walk through all the rooms one by one to make up the whole picture, it takes a moment or two. However, using the analogy or metaphor of democracy aids and moors the mind into a framework that can assist in holding a space in one's mind in the same way a walkthrough in a big house can. This can be done through the realization of democracy where democracy is akin to the house, we can know it. The problem we face is nobody sees democracy. We see it but that isn't knowing it anymore than a self professed Christian knows the mind and heart of Christ while they support taking a child away from their mother. It's self evident we are lost and unmoored.
My singular aim is to make a few bridges and clear the confusion generally so as to form a more perfect Union. The strings binding our Union have been eroded and are breaking. Look no further than a Governor pardoning a murderer where the citizens chose to lock him up for fear of their life. The Governor of Texas decided his will was what he was going to serve and to add insult to injury the killer was a bigot. Imagine that, a governor spitting in the eyes of the citizenry telling them I don't like some of you and your skin color so I'm going to set him loose to kill again? Do you see? Do you see how deeply anti Union this is? I think the Christian Bible describes it as dividing. What's that called?
What if there was a force unleashed on this earth that cast peoples minds about and divided them, what would you do? If you're not seeking to buttress democracy then you're living for yourself alone and do not see what you are a part of, it's unbeknownst to you. Let's show people what they are a part of and moor the younger generations' minds into something that cannot be taken from them like Donald Trump and the GOP are currently attempting to do. These people cost me over a hundred thousand of my neighbors who are now dead, does that bother you? Do you see a problem? If so, let's start a broader conversation. I leave it to you.
If you're curious enough to look further you can read comments I've posted over the last several years where most of it is just political ranting but mixed in are some of the deepest insights around given. There's over a novels worth mostly. It would appear to be wasted online.
The Secretary of the Interior knows by some measure about what is spoken too. Her ancestors know exactly what is being spoken too. I however do not know her personally but I see the Indigenous and what the unbreakable identity they rest in means. What they rest in is a bed of roses given to them by their elder Holy people. Their minds will never wander from what they are through the teaching of the Holy ones. The younger generations are losing this connection by some measure and are getting lost in thought and are not able to discern the difference. Let's bring it back shall we?
Can you have a conversation about this? I'm speaking to all of us, do you see that or do you only see what's in your mind?
False News is a False Flag.
Fox News has been 24/7 grooming half of America to vote for the interest of the billionaires. Why because it pays! They have systematically lied to America, been found guilty, had to pay nearly 1 billion dollars. Yet the Republicans cannot see the forest for the trees this behavior has not changed. There has never in my life been a wholesale attempt on democracy by a clear criminal who at every turn has used every trick in the book to overthrow our democracy and sell out our country for the highest dollar. Now the paid for Republican Party has placed a Felon as their parties candidate, and groomed them that the Justice system is corrupt. The majority of the right wing are low income and easily swayed citizens. The rest do not want to share their wealth as has been our way to operate and make the much needed changes to this country.
I grew up as a boomer in a very conservative family that afforded me the education and insight into how the other half lives. We have come through the eye of a needle. We now have micro chips, computers, cell phones, we have battery automobiles, we are cleaning our carbon foot print by hook or by crook. We have paid the price while these generational wealthy few prefers gauging the majority. Do not believe they will leave America! They will reconnoiter and pay to enjoy living and selling in the worlds top country ruled by the people for the people!!!
There is much to look forward to Premium Universal Healthcare. If Robots take our Jobs then a we will have above average monthly income for the displaced. We need our higher education paid for to ensure we benefit from our own people. Need our crippling infrastructure brought back as well as implementing High Speed Trains and other modernizations. If not now when we are flush with money, when? We have jumped by leaps and bounds now is the time.
Do not believe the crap they are selling.
Hi Ari
I know you media types don’t like venturing outside of your echo chamber. Could you give me 10 mins to hear me out and her an outsider perspective?
https://ndvibing.substack.com/p/dear-harris-campaign-you-must-now