CentaurCinema

Life is what you make it...And I'm trying to make it. Please bear with me.

[centaurcinema]

MaMa Said Knock You Out Or Oakland Said That...

I'm done with professional sports in Oakland. I care less the Warriors, Raiders, and A's left yesterday and left us with the empty stadiums. These stadiums don't be fill unless Sade or Prince show up. Since I was born (1986) the teams all together produce only 1 world championship (1989 A's, back when baseball was cool). Before that? 5 (3 with the A's and 2 with the Raiders) All Three teams won numerous pennants and had the attention of the city before I was born into this beautiful city. Now all three are just a conversation piece when they are winning, which hasn't been much.

But through the bad days there has many bright lights in Oakland: Art Murmur, Occupy, and Andre Ward. Andre Ward is boxing in his hometown for the world championship against fellow champion Chad Dawson tomorrow. Andre Ward has been a champion since his days of winning a gold medal at Athens Games in 2004. He has constantly won belts and he is at the top of the game. If he wins tomorrow he will be headlining Vegas fights. But what about Headlining Oakland fights in the Oakland Coliseum? Or having another good fight like Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen did in 2009. People want to do fights out here and we should embrace that heavily. I want kids growing up knowing what winners are. Sure A's won 20 games in a row during the MoneyBall days but they didn't win the world series. 

Oakland should the culture of being different and create a big time entertainment district. Our culture and attractions is way better than the stale things you call Piers in San Francisco. What is an American Cup? We have midget fighting, sideshows, and music that will have people coming here every weekend. Going to Vegas made me realize we could do the same in Oakland because we want to make this #1 spot for people to visit in the world. 

First Friday should be expended into other areas of Oakland like West Oakland and East Oakland, where they could be in a scene of the Walking Dead. I want my city to be vibrant in colors and flavors. Oakland has yet to embrace this only periodically. But change will and has to come. Because people in Oakland are very restless and want to see something incredible happen.

Black Out: Oakland from Leon Breckenridge on Vimeo.

When I was 18 I wanted to leave to Oakland to go to a Black College like Howard or Morehouse. But living here I realize that we are the Black America Capital. We are the ones we waiting for and you can never deny that. So please support Andre Ward, a great man of Oakland. 

[centaurcinema]

Where is the (Young) Hip-Hop Heads At?

I love Hip-Hop heads always complain how bad rap has gotten. How rap has warped the minds of our youth to be destructive. So what is the solution? Or fostering the youth into becoming the next KRS-ONE? Zion I? Mos Def?

A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to talk with a rapper/poet friend of mine who is deep in the conscious movement. I ask him how come there isn’t a network of conscious rappers handling business and making sure they build a movement against the Big Media weapon. But in  a laughter he says they not on his level. I think that too these conscious rapper have massive ass ego, kind of like a rapper.

But gangsta support each other when they not beefing each other. On Lil Wayne new mixtape he got a rapper named Lil Mouse. Lil Mouse is 13, and looks 9, and raps about killing people, selling drugs, fucking women. Basically being a younger version of Lil Wayne, whom I can’t remember being a nice person on wax. The Block is Hot was crazy and his first video was crazy. 

Lil Wayne and other rappers have a network where they try to work with younger artists. That is where its at. The young people control Hip-Hop. Its been that way since the beginning of time. Kinda like Nelly’s diss of KRS-ONE which made sense because there is no rapper pension. This is a young man game and I fully understand that now.

So what should Bow Wow talk about? Bow Wow was sheltered rapper. He can’t talk about shooting people? Or can he? He got to get paid. Or people who rap in those social justice rap group popping up all over the bay? Are they going to get respect if they spit conscious music? Are we going to be in their music video? The conscious people expect things to happen but the work must be put in. And that work must be validated. They need record sales, support from the community, etc. Without that they just another rapper. 

The moment that sunked in was when I was watching Kool Mo Dee was on Unsung and he was dissing LL Cool J. Saying that smart people liked Kool Mo Dee and dumb people like him. And then I saw what he was wearing. He was rocking his old ass glasses and some yellow jacket like it was 1988. Then I looked at LL: young, hip, and in tune with the culture. Sure LL isn’t making money as a rapper but he used that as a springboard to get money. Much like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Snoop Lion, and other Busta Rhymes. They understand that this a youth-oriented culture. Alot of the old Hip-Hop heads try to say that their Hip-Hop is better because its older. And old Hip-Hop is fine wine because it gets better on your ears.

It doesn’t. Actually its the opposite. Entertainment is about moving forward and creating something new. If LL was still talking about Momma said Knock You Out in 1995 then I wouldn’t have listened to him. But Doing It is still my song. One of my first videos I remember vividly. But he had to changed throughout the years so he could keep up. Unfortunately the music has somewhat passed him but he used his other skills to get other jobs like movie, TV, and hosting awards show. Jay-Z is a stapled as a “businessman” even though I seriously doubt that. But the rappers with the longevity understand that they must switch it up. Snoop Dogg with drop it like its Hot.

Hip-Hop started being opposite from the Soul Music of 1970’s. It was full of tight jeans and Adidas. B-Boy stance and pop locking. Yes some of the fashion has been brought back and rappers sampled songs, but the music has always and will move forward. I didn’t know who Lord Finesse was until he sued Mike Miller. Its sad for Lord Finesse because it took for him to sued somebody for us to know who he is. 

The conscious needs to stop complaining what is wrong with the youth and makes some music they want to listen to. To focus on hating doesn’t gives us time to focus doing something positive and create the music necessary to uplift our people. 

[centaurcinema]

I been saying this for years

[centaurcinema]

Political Mastermind- An Open Letter to Regina Jackson

Political Mastermind- An Open Letter to Regina Jackson

What is a community activist? What are the rules of the community activist? And how do you monitor those rules?

As a person who has worked in this revolutionary movement for 16 years I always noticed how kids were used to serve an agenda they may not fully understand they are a part of. One day my teacher took us to meet some white people at some random hotel in San Francisco and talk about what…

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[centaurcinema]

#housingemergency it is a right as a human being to have food, clothes, and shelter. It's not sexy to create housing for people who don't care about the community. There are too many black, brown, and Asian politicians who have allow their communities to be destroyed for their own political gains. When you asking people to support you as a faus pax that means you ain't shit. (at Qilombo)

[centaurcinema]

My mood for 2016 #sorrynotsorry #blacklivesmatter #dontlieonyourdick #imcomingforyou #headswillroll #heisback

[centaurcinema]

#blacklivesmatter the woman from #livingsingle #erikaalexander wrote a good comic book called #concretepark about people who live on a prison planet. #blackscifi #blackfiction Go cop it for #kwanzaa

[centaurcinema]

#blackmenmatter #blacklivesmatter #blackpanthers #mcm Things I think about... (at Eastside Arts Alliance)

[centaurcinema]

#photographytips #goldenhour allow you to be creative with light because there is less of it. As @common once said: some niggas can recognize the light but can't handle the glare. (at Ocean beach (47th&Taraval))

[centaurcinema]

#photographytips it's always good to shoot at the golden hour. So around sunrise and sunset. Ladies try it. Become a #nofilterbae #filtersallday (at Ocean beach (47th&Taraval))

[centaurcinema]

#photography #photographyislifee I I'm trying to help the ocean see how beautiful it is. (at Ocean beach (47th&Taraval))

[centaurcinema]

#blacklivesmatter #marthawashington I am a comic book and I try to find books that are very eccentric and exciting. Martha Washington is one of those. So #blackwomen please find your heroes. They could be anywhere. #blackmen too (at Cape and Cowl Comics)

[centaurcinema]

Libraries are the key to an education and freedom. I love libraries. One day I want all libraries in America to be open 24/7. #blacklivesmatter #blackpanthers #hueynewton (at West Oakland Public Library)

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This is the place I work with. If you have youth that is between the ages of 11-14 that wants to learn #gardening #cooking #filmmaking #music then have come to my facility M-F 3:30-5:30 and see what we are doing. 5818 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94621 and the number is 5106155807. #blackfilmmakers #blackchefs #urbanfarmers #rappers #hyphy

[centaurcinema]

#bowwowhive #relationshipgoals

[centaurcinema]

This was a suggested post on my FB. Gotta love #analytics #stem #blacklivesmatter

[centaurcinema]

#savescsu #hbcu #blackcollege save South Carolina State University

[centaurcinema]

#macdreday #dreday #obamadre