1984 Article Excerpt About Robert Farris Harris, An American Historian & Writer Specializing In African & African Diaspora Folk Cultures

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides an excerpt of a 1984 Rolling Stone magazine article about Robert Farris Thompson entitled "Robert Farris Thompson: Canons of the Cool". Robert Farris Thompson is a White American historian and writer specialising in the art and cultures of Africa and African Diaspora Folk Cultures.*

An excerpt from the Wikipedia page for Robert Farris Thompson is given in the beginning of this post.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Robert Farris Thompson for his life's legacy and thanks to the author of the article that is being quoted.

Note: I publish excerpts of articles or of hard to find books in this pancocojams blog to increase awareness about those writings and to encourage people to read them in their entirety.

*Most of this sentence identifying Robert Farris Thompson is taken from his Wikipedia page. However, I added the words "and cultures" to that sentence. I also changed the term "Afro-Atlantic" that is given in that Wikipedia page to "African Diaspora Folk Cultures" as that term is a better fit for me in describing the range and depth of Thompson's interest and scholarly accomplishments.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT ROBERT FARRIS THOMPSON
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Farris_Thompson
"Robert Farris Thompson (born December 30, 1932, El Paso, Texas[1]) is an American historian and writer specialising in the art of Africa and the Afro-Atlantic world. He has been a member of the faculty at Yale University since 1965 and currently serves as the Colonel John Trumbull Professor of the History of Art.[2] Thompson coined the term "black Atlantic" in his 1983 book Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy - the expanded subject of Paul Gilroy's book The Black Atlantic.[3]

He lived in the Yoruba region of southwest Nigeria for many years while he conducted his research of Yoruba arts history. He is affiliated with the University of Ibadan and frequented Yoruba village communities. Thompson has studied the African arts of the diaspora in the United States, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and several Caribbean islands...

Career at Yale
In 1955, Thompson received his B.A. from Yale University. After receiving his bachelor's degree, he continued his studies at Yale, where he received his Masters in 1961 and his Ph.D in 1965.[4]

Having served as Master of Timothy Dwight College from 1978 until 2010, he was the longest serving master of a residential college at Yale. Thompson is one of America's most prominent scholars of African art, and has presided over exhibitions of African art at the National Gallery in Washington D. C.. He is one of the longest-serving alumni of Yale.

Publications and areas of study
Beginning with an article on Afro-Cuban dance and music (published in 1958), Thompson has dedicated his life to the study of art history of the Afro-Atlantic world.[4] His first book was Black Gods and Kings, which was a close reading of the art history of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria (population of approximately 40 million).[4] Other published works include- African Art in Motion, Flash of the Spirit (1983), Face of the Gods, and Tango: The Art History of Love.[4] Thompson also published an introduction to the diaries of Keith Haring. Some of his works have even been translated into German, Portuguese, French and Flemish.[4] Additionally, Thompson also studies the art of Guillermo Kuitca and Jos� Bedia, and has been anthologized 15 times.[4]�...

****
ARTICLE EXCERPT:
From http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/canons-of-the-cool-19841122
"Robert Farris Thompson: Canons of the Cool"

The Yale professor was destined to become another stuffy intellectual � until he danced the mambo

By Fred Iseman, November 22, 1984
..."Robert Farris Thompson and I have come down to Haiti on a 10:30 a.m. flight from New York to pass the weekend with Andr� Pierre and with Madame Nerva, a vodun priestess. Thompson is an art historian, a tenured professor at Yale and master of Timothy Dwight College there. I am a former student of his, come along to watch Bob make what he calls "a little sounding" � "a little sondage." Andr� Pierre is the Haitian Fra Angelico, a vodun cleric whose canvases hang in the Haitian national museum; copies of his work fill airport postcard racks.

[...]

White of skin, white of hair and white of origins, education and society, Robert Farris Thompson fell in love with black music, black art and blackness 30 years ago and has spent his entire career in the grips of that particular passion. Following an instinct aroused by a mambo overheard in 1950, Thompson has learned fluent Ki-Kongo, Yoruba, French, Spanish and Portuguese and is learning a score of Creole and tribal languages; wandered, with pygmies, Zaire's Ituri forest; become a vodun acolyte; written four books on West African religion, philosophy and art; and organized two major exhibitions at Washington's National Gallery. He has also become, by dancing in an indigo costume embroidered with seashells taken from the gizzards of dead crocodiles, a "junior-varsity member of the Basinjon Society," a Cameroun tribal agency for controlling lightning and other natural forces.

Incorporating anthropology, sociology, ethnomusicology and what Thompson calls "guerrilla scholarship" (i.e., "We'll let the fud-duds footnote their way across that"), Thompson's career is bent toward a single end: the learned advocacy of black Atlantic civilization. He spends his life pursuing the scholarly thrill of making coherent and meaningful what is misunderstood as random, superficial or obscure. As an art historian will extract from basilica floor plans a comprehension of the medieval mind, or from late Roman statuary an understanding of the empire's decline, Thompson works from the iconography of salsa, dance steps, clothes, sculpture, gesture and slang to a definition of blackness. He loves to show how sophisticated the "primitive" really is. As archeologist, he brings artifacts to life; as critic, he deciphers them; and as true believer, he promotes their artistic and spiritual worth.

[...]

Bob Thompson lectures his class like a fundamentalist preacher rousing a congregation, knees bent, microphone cocked and wire trailing behind him. He walks amid the 200 students overflowing the Street Hall auditorium out into the corridor. Thompson's fall course, HoA 379a, is titled "The Structure of the New York Mambo: Microcosm of Black Creativity." Onstage a tape player emits pygmy yodeling; from the vacant lectern hangs a map of West African tribal dominions; and on the screen flash slides of Harlem, pygmies, fabrics of syncopated patterns and Kongo-influenced funerary sculpture from North Carolina graveyards. "Why," Thompson asks, "are black people so sassy?"

The answer begins with the etymology of the phrase "get down." It moves to the Yoruba concepts of cool (itutu) and command (�she); lateral versus sagittal walking; the aesthetics of drumming; the significance of offbeat phrasing; call-and-response; and finally Muhammad Ali. Thompson's voice switches to a mock-Groton lilt to declaim a litany of African influences:

"A lot of our slang was created by people thinking in Yoruba and Ki-Kongo while speaking in English. The basic sounds of agreement and disagreement, uh-huh and unh-unh, are pure West African. Funky is Ki-Kongo lu-fuki, 'positive sweat.' Boogie comes from Ki-Kongo mbugi, meaning 'devilishly good.' Jazz and jisn probably derive from the same Ki-Kongo root dinza, meaning 'to ejaculate.' Mojo comes from Ki-Kongo for 'soul'; juke as in jukebox from Mande-kan for 'bad'; and Babalu-Aye � as in disc jockey Babalu � is pure and simple Yoruba for 'Father and Master of the Universe.'

"Most of our ballroom dancing is Africanized," he continues, "the rhumba, the tango, even tap-dancing and the Lindy. Fried chicken is African. And J. Press patchwork shorts may be related to an African fabric. Even cheerleading incorporates some apparent Kongo gestures: left hand on hip, right hand raised twirling a baton. It worked its way up through New Orleans Vodun Rara bands into the Dallas Cowboys' half-time show."

"Let me give you all the pieces that ignited," Thompson explains, sitting in a campus restaurant. "I grew up in Texas; I was crazy about boogie. I wasn't a football player or anything, and I realize now that any elements of attractiveness I had for girls then were both musical and black-influenced. My senior year at prep school, I went to Mexico City on a trip. There was this mambo � Mexico City was awash in mambo � I heard waiters humming it, I heard it on the lips of gas-station attendants, I heard it in the background when talking to the hotel operator on the phone. It was my first full shot of African music: all-out black polyphony, mambo multimetrics. A stunning woman stopped in front of me in a cafe; she heard this music, and I heard her say to her companion, 'But darling, it's such a different beat.'"

Thompson's newest book, Flash of the Spirit, explains the roots of African influence in the New World. It serves as a sort of Baedeker to funk. One reviewer wrote, "This book does for art history what the dunk shot did for basketball."

"Let me give you all the pieces that ignited," Thompson explains, sitting in a campus restaurant. "I grew up in Texas; I was crazy about boogie. I wasn't a football player or anything, and I realize now that any elements of attractiveness I had for girls then were both musical and black-influenced. My senior year at prep school, I went to Mexico City on a trip. There was this mambo � Mexico City was awash in mambo � I heard waiters humming it, I heard it on the lips of gas-station attendants, I heard it in the background when talking to the hotel operator on the phone. It was my first full shot of African music: all-out black polyphony, mambo multimetrics. A stunning woman stopped in front of me in a cafe; she heard this music, and I heard her say to her companion, 'But darling, it's such a different beat.'"

A mambo called "The Newspaper Shirt Mambo" � La Camisa de Papel � by Justi Barretto, is the principal icon of Thompson's career. A broken shard of the Mexican 78-rpm record as sung by Perez Prado hangs framed in his study. "Specifically, it's about a black who wears a shirt literally made of scare headlines � a shirt of newspaper. The song had no fear of strong subject matter � it was about the beginning of the Korean War and about the fear of thermonuclear war. One line goes, 'Hey, black man, got the news?' I was irradiated with this music, hopelessly hooked on mambo."

[...]

"Music called," Thompson says, "and art history was the response." He decided to become a graduate student at Yale. "The more I studied, the more I saw how the world had covered up the source of all this. It wasn't Latin music � it was Kongo-Cuban-Brazilian music. You can hear Kongo rhythms in 'The Newspaper Shirt.' And mambu in Ki-Kongo means 'issues, important matters, text.' A mambo is a seminar on the crisscross of currents from Africa.

"These are some of the strands in the textile: salsa and reggae share the mambo impulse, and the mambo component in turn emerged from Cuba in the late 1930s. Yoruba is still spoken there. If you were Yoruba, and taken in slavery in the nineteenth century, chances were you'd wind up in Cuba or northeastern Brazil. Afro-Cuban culture survived slavery. Those Afro-Cuban rhythms are hot, acrid and bumping. I have spent my life like a literary critic," he says, "trying to marshal all the apposite texts to decode 'The Newspaper Shirt Mambo.'"

[...]

In the process of getting tenure at Yale, Thompson published Black Gods and Kings, The Four Moments of the Sun and African Art in Motion, about the intertwining aesthetics of West African sculpture, fabric and dance. Now Flash of the Spirit is reaching readers who aren't specialists, iconographers or academics. His next book, finally, after 30 years, will be the mambo book.

"Each successive wave of immigration � Dominican, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Jamaican � enhances the music. One can speak of 'conjugating' a beat. It's explosive. Salsa was a major turning point � in 1968 New York became virtually the musical capital of the Latin world. And all of it cross-pollinating with jazz, and pure Yoruba music like King Sunny Ade, and then, through secondary reverberations, to white groups, like the Talking Heads.

[...]

Thompson is keen to distinguish between practicing West African religion and teaching the culture of which it is a part. Recently, someone he hardly knows asked him for spiritual advice, and Thompson was appalled. He thinks of himself as a medium, but a medium of the most ordinary sort. He feels that what he has to teach is merely what he's culled from all his global "informants." In Thompson's books, the acknowledgment sections tend to run to hundreds and hundreds of tiny little sonorous names, which if read aloud sound like listings from the Lagos, Rio, Ouagadougou and New Haven telephone directories combined. They are the sources of the "flash of the spirit," without which, Thompson says, he's "just Joe the gray-haired academic."

[...]

Those who slight the importance of such black folk rituals, and of Thompson's life's work, make him indignant. "How dare people patronize Africa?" he asks. "Those people stand like giants in teaching us how to live. There is a moral voice imbedded in the Afro-Atlantic aesthetic that the West can't grasp. They don't see the monuments, just barefoot philosophy coming from village elders. But the monument is a grand reconciling art form that tries to morally reconstruct a person without humiliating him." Sometimes when Thompson starts rolling, his voice takes on the cadences of black speech.

"These are the canons of the cool: There is no crisis that cannot be weighed and solved; nothing can be achieved through hysteria or cowardice; you must wear and show off your ability to achieve social reconciliation. Step back from the nightmare. It is a call for parlance, for congress and for self-confidence. 'The Newspaper Shirt' is all about wearing a crisis on your chest. Afro-Atlantic art forms are juridical and medical, as well as aesthetic. It is a very hard-nosed way to use art."...

-snip-
Click https://detroitisafrotopia.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/flash-of-the-spirit-african-and-afro-american-art-and-philosophy.pdf for a pdf file of "Flash Of The Spirit: African and Afro-American Art And Philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African influence on Diaspora language and cultures African origins of African American culture Robert Farris Thompson traditional African cultures traditional Kongo gestures

Read More

Hand Signs Used By Historically Black Greek Lettered Fraternities & Sororities (quotes and video examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides quotes about hand signs that are used by members of historically Black Greek lettered organizations (BGLOs) and showcases BGLO videos that include hand signs.

This post also includes information about BGLO calls because of the close connection between historically Black Greek lettered organizations' calls and hand signs.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

This post serves as a companion to a two part pancocojams series on historically Black Greek lettered organizations calls. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/black-fraternity-sorority-calls.html for Part I of that series. The link for Part II (videos of BGLO roll calls) is included in that post.

The comment section below includes links to two blog posts/articles about the use of hand signs among PWI (predominately White [Greek lettered] Institutions). The 2015 article announced a ban on the publication on social media of photographs for members of Kappa Kappa Gamma if those photographs included hand signs. Most of the published comments with that article were critical of that decision. For the folkloric record, in this post's comment section, I've quoted a small portion of that article as well as several comments.

Although I've not quoted any of the comments in that linked six page blog post, some commenters in that discussion noted that hand signs are not only the norm among historically Black Greek lettered organizations, but are also the norm among Latino/a, Asian, and multi-cultural university based Greek lettered organizations.

****
QUOTES ABOUT HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTERED FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES HAND SIGNS
These quotes are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Quote #1
This is an excerpt from the pancocojams post on BGLO calls whose link is given above:
From http://www.afa1976.org/Portals/0/Membership_Intake_Guide_NPHC.pdf NPHC National Membership Intake Guide: A Statement About Calls & Hand Signs By National Pan-Hellenic Council
"Hand signs and calls have evolved into another historical facet of Black fraternal organization life. According to Kimbrough (2003), the concept of calls is embedded in both African and African-American tradition. These sounds were a form of yodeling known as whooping in the Congo and Angola tribes. Additionally, these audible sounds, also known as cries and arhoolies, could he heard being sung by slaves. It is not clear when calls were first used, however, it seems possible that calls used by NPHC organizations became prevalent during the mid-1970�s.

Much like calls, the exact origin of hand signs cannot be pinpointed. According to Kimbrough (2003), pictures from college campuses of Black fraternities and sororities indicate that hand signs became a part of the Black fraternal experience during the 1970�s. Although it is not clear how calls and hand signs evolved, these traditions are long standing.

These universal symbols can be seen as exclusive outward expressions of pride and of strong organizational identification."
-snip-
Added August 29. 2016
"I'm a very inactive member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Gamma Zeta chapter, New Jersey, 1967). During the brief time in 1967 that I was active with that sorority, I definitely recall hearing and performing that organization's signature call "Skee Weee". I also definitely remember seeing and doing the organization's secret handshake. I know how to do AKA's hand sign, but I'm not sure that I remember seeing or doing an AKA hand sign before I voluntarily became inactive (which, for various reasons was shortly after I "went over" - i.e. officially became a member of that organization)."
-snip-
I should also note that the handshake and hand sign both feature the pinky finger.

**
Quote #2
From https://books.google.com/books?id=LHLySACMxdcC&pg=PA11&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false [Google Books]
Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities (Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 2003) By Walter M. Kimbrough

[page] 122
..."Calls are audible sounds made by members as a means to signify or acknowledge membership in a particular organizations, or to acknowledge or �call� a member who might be in range where they could hear the call and respond. Instead of yelling the person�s name, the fraternity brother or sorority sister would use the call to get the person�s attention. These actions are also steeped in African and African American traditions. Alternately named whoops, hollers, cries, and artwhoolies, they were a form of yodeling employed in the Congo and Angola among tribes (whooping), or sung by slaves (cries and artwhoolies). Call was also the name of the practice of black vendors who peddled and advertised their products.

Being verbal customs, it is difficult to determine when or why they appeared. Discussions with older members of the organizations yield varying responses as to when calls were first used. In a dissertation, Marcella McCoy explores some customs of Black Greek-lettered organizations. The topic of calls was raised through interviews with persons initiated throughout a period of 1941 to 1994. Some of the subjects said they heard calls as early as the late 1960s, but there was a great deal of inconsistency. One of the ways used to determine the origins was to look for these phrases written in student publications. At Alabama State in 1981, the phrase �OO OOP� was viewed on a T-shirt of Delta Sigma Theta members on the campus. Three years later at Alabama A&M, the phrase �SKEE-WEE� appeared. It is probable that these calls were mid-1970s inventions, but a much more detailed analysis of this aspect of Black fraternalism is needed and warranted.

[page 123 is not available online}

[page] 124

[quote begins on page 123 and appears to be a description of a photo]

[Virginia?] �Beach in the early 1980s showed a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority holding their sorority hand sign, characterized by holding out the pinky finger. Even though a seventies invention, within a decade, hand signs became ubiquitous. Since that time, practically all undergraduates pose for pictures while using their respective hand signs."

****
Quote #3
From https://aytaylor.wordpress.com/
eview: Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities
Posted on April 26, 2014 by ancherise Standard
..."I�m sure African American students attending predominently Black colleges as well as predominantly white colleges have seen the Black Greek-Letter Organizations around their campuses repping their organization dressed in jackets with Greek letters, line names, colors, and numbers, as well as these organizations �throwing up� their traditional hand signs, and shouting out calls while stepping during parties. This book thoroughly explains the transformation of Black Greek-Letter Organizations and the history behind what these organizations have become in our culture today. It talks about the evolution of hazing and pledging, distinguishing the two. As I�ve stated in previous posts, people have different processes. It just all depends on the chapter and organization. This book highlights that. It brings some terms to pass that you might have heard around your campuses (paper, skaters, nupes, ques, wood, etc.). It also explains and attempts to date the history of stepping, and why these organizations throw up hand signs and shout out calls."

****
Quote #4
Google Books: African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision (University Press of Kentucky, Mar 11, 2005) edited by Tamara Brown
[page] 297
"What is a Call?
Calls, along with organizational colors, commonly serve as introductory features to BGLOs. Calls are vocal utterances, either words or sounds, coined for use of the respective organizations...Calls can be diverse in pitch and sound, ranging from a howl or a bark to a screech or whistle. It is understood that nonmembers do not use the call, because it is viewed as offensive and disrespectful toward the organization that coined it. The call is used to acknowledge and greet another member who is some distance away, to avoid yelling that person�s name. It is used to get the attention of another member and as a form of affirmation and approval in place of applause when members of various BGLOs are present. Common usage involves one member initiating the call and the member or members being addressed replying with the same call or another responding call....

Hand signals are used to accompany or substitute for the call in many situations. It is not uncommon for members to form the symbol of the group with their hands while posing for a photograph, especially if they are not wearing paraphernalia. The same exclusive rules of ownership that applies to calls applies to the use of hand signals."

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS THAT INCLUDE BGLOS HAND SIGNS
These videos are given in chronological order based on the founding date of these nine historically Black Greek lettered organizations. Note that I chose to feature a combined video of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc because that video extensively featured members of those two organizations throwing hand signs.

These videos are given without any viewer comments or any editorial comment (by me) except to note that it appears that all of these organizations have more than one signature hand sign.

Many of these videos showcase fraternity and/or sorority strolling because hand signs are often performed while doing that performance art. I tried to chose videos that were less than 10 minutes and which didn't include background music that contained any profanity or what is commonly known as "the n word". Please suggest additional links to YouTube videos that showcase hand signs as long as they meet those criteria.

Video #1: Alphas & AKAs Stroll



Charles Sueing, Published on Nov 3, 2011

Morehouse/Spelman Homecoming 2011
-snip-
This video showcases members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. hand signs can be best seen around 2:09 of this video.

****
Video #2: The Lambda Iota Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Presents "AcademiK Probation"



Lowdown Nupes Published on Aug 19, 2016

August 27th, 2016 | University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Kappa Alphha Psi | UTC Nupes | @lowdownnupes

****
Video #3: Omega Psi Phi Talented 10th District Hop and Cadillac Hop



Mr. Party Promoter, Published on Jun 13, 2016

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Talented 10th District Hop and What they Live for "Cadillacs" Hop

****
Video #4: 2014 UMD Block Show: Delta Sigma Theta



Shegaw MekonenPublished on May 8, 2014

The sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc's Kappa Phi chapter perform at the University of Maryland College Park Block Show

****
Video #5: Phi Beta Sigma WINS 2017 Atlanta Greek Picnic Stroll off (Official Video )#AGP2017 #DewXAgp



Atlanta Greek Picnic Published on Jun 26, 2017

The men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc WIN the 2017 Atlanta Greek Picnic Stroll off. Saturday June 24th, Morris Brown College. Sponsored by Mountain Dew.

****
Video #6: Zeta Phi Beta, Tuskegee Stroll Off 2016



Kelli Lacy Published on Aug 31, 2016

Theta Beta Chapter!!! Stroll of Tuskegee Universtiy

****
Video #7: Sigma Gamma Rho Mu Xi Spring 2016 Probate Jacksonville State University #MovieMic Promos



MovieMIC, Published on Mar 15, 2016

#MovieMic my Alma Mater The Jacksonville State University

****
Video #8: Evil Eta Chapter Iota's Stepping (Virginia State) [Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.]



De Shaun Published on Aug 27, 2010

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American fraternities and sororities African American fraternity and sorority calls Bglo culture PWI hand signs

Read More

Black Power Themes In Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc, Probate (VSU's Evil Eta Chapter - Spring 2014)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a video of the Black power themes in Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc, Probate (VSU's Evil Eta Chapter - Spring 2014). Included in this video are vintage clips of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, the Black Panthers, and others.

Selected comments from video's discussion thread are also included in this post. I've also added brief explanatory notes for some of these comments.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks and congratulations to all those who are featured in this video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Iota Phi Theta - Evil Eta Chapter - Spring 2k14 Probate



TrojanNation1882 Published on Mar 25, 2014

The Evil Eta Chapter Presents...

The Freedom Riders aka The Refugees

The Evil Eta Chapter Presents...

The Freedom Riders aka The Refugees

1. Denzel Davis/Line Name - The Ghost Rider Alias - Geo-Dude
2. Maleik Pride/Line Name - The Activist Alias - Gravey -ite
3. Wanya Wilson/Line Name - Black Owt Alias - The Peacemaker
4. Darien Pope/Line Name - Colossus Alias - Thor
5. Bradford Bearden/Line Name - RhymeFest Alias - The Outcast
6. Devin Harrington/Line Name - Rhythm & Blues Alias - The Composer
7. Omega/Line Name - NoTAURius B.I.G Alias- The Longest Yard

Created by: The Trojan Introduction Program
Chief Videographer: Deon Tillman & Dominique Robinson
Chief Editor: Deon Tillman & Nigel France


***DISCLAIMER ***
THIS VIDEO AS WELL AS OTHERS ON THE TROJANNATION1882 CHANNEL ARE NOT AN OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY. THE VIEWS AND IDEAS EXPRESSED COME FROM VSU STUDENTS AS A REFLECTION OF STUDENT LIFE AT VSU. PLEASE VISIT THE VSUOfficialChannel FOR NEWS & INFORMATION REGARDING VSU!
-snip-
VSU = Virginia State University

****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments are numbered for referencing purposes only. All of these comments are from 2014.

My notes after some of these comments may include definitions from this online page: https://www.montclair.edu/student-development-campus-life/greek-life/glossary/ "Montclair State [New Jersey] Greek Life Glossary (hereafter given as "Montclair State Greek Glossary"

Here's a statement from that page:
"(Please note this is not an exhaustive list and is compiled from multiple sources. Not all terms are used by all groups/campuses.)"

-snip-
Here's the definition of "Probate" from that glossary:
"Probate/Coming Out Show" � A performance by newly inducted or soon to be inducted members. A way for
organizations to showcase the newest members of the organization"

****
1. ABDUL SHARIF
"Inspiration. ...Thank you Eta Chapter. .OW OW "It Takes A Man""
-snip-
"Ow Ow" is the signature call for members of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

**
2. Gerald E Anderson Jr
"Once again my Evil Eta brothers make me proud to be an Iota and to be from Evil Eta. Ow Ow!!!!!"

**
3. rontavius allen
"I see you Sandz
ACE Spr 2k14
Beta Theta Chapter
JCSU"
-snip-
Sandz" = Sands
from Montclair State Greek Glossary - "Sands - An NPHC term for members of your new member class or Greeks who became members the same semester. Comes from the phrase "cross the burning sands" which means to cross over (Become initiated) into full membership.

from Montclair State Greek Glossary- "NPHC - The National Pan-Hellenic Council, the governing body of the 9 historically African American fraternities and sororities, also known as the Divine Nine."
-snip-
Note that there are other African American Greek letter (and non-Greek letter) university based fraternities and sororities besides the Divine Nine.

**
4. newjeruz08
"Great job Fellas! Keep Building a Tradition and Not Resting Upon One" Dean Big Brother OwtSpoken! 6HFA11"

**
5. bama7boy
"Ow Ow to my neos!! Continue to uphold what it takes to be a Tru Theta Man.. 2HFa12 Decatholon"

from Montclair State Greek Glossary - "Neophyte - New member of Greek Letter organization; also called a �Neo�. This term is generally used by NPHC, NALFO, and NMGC organizations.

NALFO - "The National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) is an umbrella council for 16 Latino Greek Letter Organizations established in 1998." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Latino_Fraternal_Organizations

NMGC= "The National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC) is an umbrella council for eleven multicultural fraternities and sororities (Greek Letter organizations) in universities in the United States. It was established in 1998." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Multicultural_Greek_Council

**
6. Jennifer Odom
"Woooork!!! I miss my VSU! Shout out to the Tr3!!! EEE-OW!"
-snip-
"EE-OW" - a call that a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. uses to address members of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. The call combines the beginning of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. call ("EEE-Yip") with the end of the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. call ("Ow Ow").

"EEE-Ow" is a combined sorority/fraternity call. This type of combination call are respectful greetings that acknowledge the family ties that exists across Black Greek Lettered Organizations (BGLOs). From what I've read online, it appears that combined calls are most often given by members of historically Black Greek lettered sororities to members of other historically Black Greek lettered fraternities. I don't know if members of historically Black Greek lettered fraternities follow the same custom for members of historically Black Greek letter sororities, or if this custom is done for between two sororities, or two fraternities, or between BGLOs and other fraternal organizations.

**
7. Court Lyn F.
"This Iota Chapter been popping for years! Congrats EEE-OW!!"
-snip-
"poppin" = African American Vernacular English term meaning "excelling"; "rising up", "exceeding expectations", [being] "hot"

**
8. keith oliver
"Way to set the standard. OW-OW Eta Chapter.
GCR-Alabama
Tuskegee University
3SPR12"

**
9. Allester Taylor
"OW-OW that was OWsome Brothers!!!! Congrats
#1 Spring 01
Delta Zeta Indiana State University"

**
10. mrtooauthentic24
"OW OW SANDZ.
1 DO 14."

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American fraternities and sororities African American Vernacular English Black power fraternity and sorority calls Iota Phi Theta fraternity

Read More

Nigerian Gospel Singer Sonny Badu - African Praise (sung in several traditional African Languages & in Nigerian Pidgin English)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Nigerian Gospel singer Sonny Badu singing a compilation of Gospel songs from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria.

The lyrics for this song (with English translations) are provided in this post along with several other comments from this video's discussion thread.

The content of this post is provided for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sonny Badu for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who composed these songs. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

*****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Sonnie Badu - African Praise



Ghana Gospel, Published on Apr 11, 2012
-snip-
Selected comments (Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only)

1.Deborah Ekechukwu, 2014
"I love the combination of different languages!
Sonnie Badu is so blessed! May God continue to use him.
I cant stop dancing whenever i am listening to this. It doesn't matter where I am, I just start moving!
I love the drums too and the parago beat too."

**
2. Chichy _unseen, 2014
"Zimbabwe , South Africa ,South africa , Nigeria ,Ghana n Congo......gud job I love this

**
3. Monalisa Banks, 2015
"1. I yo hlonolofatsa ka lebitso la Ntate...means "Oh bless, bless, in the name of the Father! " Meaning Father bless whatever it is that needs blessing!
2. Jehova o lefika laka...means "Jehova you are my Rock!" Both songs are in SeSotho language, one of the many South African languages. Hope this helps.

God, in His manifold wisdom, gave humanity so much diversity in everything; languages, different nationalities, different fauna and flora, but puny man keeps fighting and warring against his neighbor instead of beholding and enjoying these gifts that God has blessed us with. Black against black, white against white, white against black, man against the beasts of the field! What a shame!!"

**
4. Jacob Okine, 2015
"The lyrics are all here. This is what I believe All African Musicians, and for that matter the local musicians should include directly to their Music on Youtube and elsewhere, to make meaning to the Whole world/Internationally.
We should not just be excited by posting videos..... they must include lyrics and meaning(in terms of local languages), like the Europeans and the Americans.

(In Shona � Zimbabwe)
Hakuna wakaita sa Jesu, (There�s no one compared to Jesus)
Hakuna wakaita sa Yee (There�s no one like Him)
Hakuna wakaita sa Jesu (There�s no one compared to Jesus)
Hakuu hakuchina (There is no other name)

Nda manya manya, kwese, kwese (I have searched everywhere)
Ndatenderera, kwese, kwese (I have run around everywhere )
Nda tsvaga tsvaga, kwese, kwese (I have looked around everywhere)
Hakuu hakuchina (There�s no other name)

(In Sotho � South Africa)
Iyo hlonolofatsa, Iyo hlonolofatsa (Iyo Bless, Iyo Bless,)
Iyo ka lebtso la Ntate (Iyo, The name of the father)

(Still in Sotho)
Jehova, O lefika laka (Jehovah, you�re my Rock of Ages)

24-7 I will praise you Jehovah
24-7 I will praise your Holy Name

(In Pidgin � Nigeria)
This kind God oo, I never see your type oo
This kind God oo, Blessed be your holy name

(In Twi � Ghana)
Woayoo, Woayoo, Woayoo ewurade ye oheni (He has done it, God is king)
Woayoo, Woayoo, Woayoo ewurade ye oheni (He has done it, God is king)

(In Lingala � Congo)
Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh kumama Yahweh (Yahweh/God be Praised)
Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh kumama Yahweh (God be Praised)

**
5. Daniel Antwi, 2016
"+Yekini Olugbenga Hi!! Woyo Woyo ooooh Woyo ooooo Awurade wo ye ohene !!!! is an Ashanti language meaning REALLY REALLY GOD YOU ARE KING INDEED!!!. It means you are marveled of what God is able to do hence the aweness."
-snip-
From https://www.omniglot.com/writing/twi.htm
"Twi is a dialect of Akan, a member of the Kwa sub-group of Niger-Congo languages. There are about 7 million Twi speakers, mainly in Ghana. Major dialects of Twi include Akuapim Twi, Fante Twi and Ashanti Twi, which all mutually intelligible."...

**
6. Kay mut, 2016
"Hakuna wakaita saJesu
(There is no one like Jesus)
Hakuna wakaita saye
(There is none like him)????????????????????????repeat....
Ndamhanyamhanya kwese kwese
(I've run around all over)
Ndatendererera kwese kwese
(Iv turned everywhere)
Ndatsvaga tsvaga kwese kwese
(Iv searched everywhere)?????
Hakuu hakuchina??????

Its Shona language frm Zim.thank u Sonnie fo such beautiful praise

**
7. Faith Alive F.A.I.M, 2017
"Hakuna wakaita saJesu /There is none like Jesus."

**
8. Nombulelo Mfuku, 2017
"He is singing our Songs very well Wow, South African Songs."

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Lesotho music Nigerian Gospel music Nigerian pidgin English Shona language Twi language

Read More

Black French singer Willy Williams - Ego (biographical information, video, & English translated lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about French singer Willy William and showcases a video of his hit song "Ego". The lyrics for that song are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Willy William for his musical ability. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT WILLY WILLIAM
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_William
"Willy William is a French-trained musician, a DJ , a singer and a composer. Born in 1980 in Champagn�, France to Afro-Jamaican parents, he has become known for his club remixes and collaborative work with pop musicians. William won the title after his "B Boyz Shake da Body" hit with DJ Flex. Later, the musician was distinguished by the work of solo performers such as Les Jumo, Will.I.Am and others. Besides the fact that he writes music for many performers, he also authored their songs. Willy Williams does not just make remixes of the stars, but also adds vocal parts that make the songs sound new.

In 2013, he is featured in the song "Li Tourner", written by DJ Assad and Alain Ramanisum , after which he joined the "Collectif M�tiss�" collective, which he has until now. In 2014, with the help of Tefa & Moox , the artist created a clash of Sting's world-famous hit "Englishman in New York" with a rhythmic style, with reggae-ton elements. In 2015, the song released its first " Te quiero " single, after which Willie became known to the whole world. The song took the 24th place in the French mainstream and 70th in Belgium.

Already a few months later, Willley released his second single called "Ego" , also known as "Ale ale ale". This time, Willie Williams is in the 17th place in France and the 6th in Belgium. The song of this song, downloading "Play On Label" collects over 50 million views in just four months."...

Born 14 April 1981 (age 36)
Champagn�, France
Genres
Dance reggaeton moombahton
Occupation(s)
DJ record producer singer
-snip-
This biography was reformatted to enhance its readability.

Notice that this biography gives Willy Williams�s birth year as 1980 and as 1981.
-snip-
From https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/ego-radio-edit/id1048473035?i=1048473040
"About: Willy William
DJ, producer and singer Franco-Jamaican, Willy William is discovered by the general public thanks to the success of his group Collectif M�tiss�. It was in 2015 that he decided to go solo with the singles "Te Quiero", "Ego" and "On s'endort" with Keen V, preparing the release of a first opus in 2016, One life.".

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: WILLY WILLIAM - Ego (Official Video)



Ego Italy Published on Nov 20, 2015

Willy William is a French Jamaican producer and DJ. He is famous for his remixes and collabs (in France he hit gold and platinum records, as well as an NRJ DJ Award).
His �Ego� is already Top 10 on Shazam France, #2 Shazam Future Hits, Top 10 iTunes Dance, the video is aiming at 1 million views and the track is already on air on two of the most listened and famous French radios, NRJ and Fun.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
Allez allez allez. Get ready for the French touch and a good dose of... Ego!
-snip-
Statistics as of September 16, 2017 [12:35 PM EDT}
87,545,418 views
65,347 Comments
-snip-
The discussion thread for this song appears to have a lot of comments in Turkish and also has comments in French, Arabic, and other languages. There are very few comments in English, prompting this exchange:

Shichi, September 2017
"English comment passing by"

**?
Reply
Elleanor Gray, September 2017
"Shichi lol me too. Why the sudden explosion of Turkish people. This song was for 2015?"

****
LYRICS: EGO
(composer [?] Willy William)

Mirror
Tell me who's the fairest of them all
Even if I become a megalomaniac
Come and stroke my ego
Go, go, go

Let me enter your matrix
Taste your delights
No one can dissuade me from it
Go, go, go

I'll do anything to accompany you
I'm really one-track-minded
I'm fine in my bubble
Go, go, go

Everything is beautiful
Everything is rosy
For as long as I need it
Tell me, who's the fairest?
Go, go, go

Go, go, go

Mirror

What have you done with my head?
This dishonest transformation
It's not what I asked for
Go, go, go

The buzz is nothing but a fake
I'm no longer in the matrix
There's no longer anyone to talk to about it
Go, go, go

I'll do anything to recover
What I'm currently ruining.
Finally I've left my bubble
Go, go, go

Everything is beautiful
Everything is rosy
Before my ego imposes
I'm done with looking at you
Go, go, go

Go, go, go
Go, go, go

Ego Ego (x10)
Go, go, go


Source: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/ego-ego.html-21
Submitted by mayasurya on Thu, 24/12/2015 -
"i hope this translation was useful to you. use it wherever, i don't mind.
i write evocative translations rather than precise ones so this might not be word for word"
-snip-
This was the first French-English translation of Willy William's "Ego" that was given on that page, but that page has numerous other French to English translations of this song

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Black French culture Reggaeton Willy Williams

Read More

Big Mama Thornton - Everything Gonna Be Alright (sound file & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcase a sound file of Big Mama Thornton singing "Everything Gonna Be Alright". The lyrics to this rendition are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Big Mama Thornton for her musical legacy and Muddy Waters Blues Band for their musical legacy. Thanks to the composer of this song and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLE: Big Mama Thornton-Everything Gonna Be Alright



TravelerIntoTheBlue, Published on Sep 22, 2011

Big Mama Thornton With Muddy Waters Blues Band 1966

Willie Mae " Big Mama" Thornton Vocal
Muddy Waters.. Guitar
Ottis Span.. Piano
James Cotton...Harmonica
Francis Clay Drums
Luther Johnson Bass
Samuel Lowhorn ... Guitar

****
LYRICS: EVERYTHING GONNA BE ALRIGHT

Come here, baby
Sit down on my knees
Right here pretty baby
Ah, sit down on, on my knees
You know i wanna whisper in your ear, baby
Tell you what you mean to me

I know I love you baby
With all my heart and soul
I give you everything I got, baby
I�d even go to Fort Knox and rob it of all its gold
Yeah, baby, it�s gonna be alright
Because I need the one and the money
And cause everything is gonna be alright tonight

[instrumental music]

Everything gonna be alright baby
I know because i feel it in my bones
Everything gonna be alright baby
Because I feel it in my bones
Hey hey hurry baby
I don�t want you to leave me alone
Come on, come on baby you got it
Get it baby, get it! You got it

[instrumental music]

Come here, pretty baby

[instrumentall music]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the recording. Additions and corrections are welcome.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American Blues Big Mama Thornton

Read More

We Stand With Barbuda! (The Caribbean Island Of Barbuda Before And After Hurricane Irma)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides historical information about the island of Barbuda, part of the Caribbean nation of Antigua & Barbuda that was devastated by Hurricane Irma (September 5, 2017).

This post also showcases two pre-Hurricane Irma videos of Barbuda, and features a post-hurricane interview video of several Barbudans, as well as an excerpt of a USA Today post-hurricane article about Barbuda and its residents.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and quoted in this post and thanks for the publishers of these videos. My prayers are for Barbudans and all others who experienced the devastation of Hurricane Irma.

****
HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT BARBUDA
From http://www.antiguanice.com/v2/client.php?id=697 BARBUDA'S HISTORY
Copyright Antigua Nice Ltd � 2012
"Barbuda's history has been intimately tied to that of Antigua for centuries. The first early attempts to settle Barbuda (by both the British and French) were failures, and it wasn't until 1666 that the British established a colony strong enough to survive the ravages of both nature and the Amerindians originally from South America, attempting to keep the Europeans off their islands.

In 1685, Christopher and John Codrington were granted a lease of Barbuda for 50 years in exchange for "One fat sheep on demand". With subsequent leases that granted them additional rights to the substantial wreckage along Barbuda's reefs, they became the island's preeminent family. For much of the eighteenth century the Codrington land on Barbuda was used to produce food and to supply additional slave labour for the Codrington sugar plantations on Antigua, and so the fortunes of Barbuda rose and fell with those of its larger neighbour. Testament to the influence of the Codringtons remains today, both in the island's place names and in its architectural remains....

A WORD ABOUT NAMES - The Amerindian name for Barbuda was "Wa'omoni", as seen in Father Raymond Breton's Island Carib Dictoionary.This is thought to mean the "Island of Herons". Since the word could mean any large bird, it could possibly cover the Frigate or Weather Bird, so common in Barbuda.

In 1529, Diego Ribero named Barbuda in his early map of the Caribbees as "La Barbuda" and Antigua "Elagua". Another geographer, Cabot, called it "Baruada". Then Descelius' map of the Indies (1546) shows Barbuda as "Barnada". Zaltieri's map of 1566 calls the island "Las Barbuda".

Historians in both Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados have no real solution to the origin of the names of these islands. Legend has it that both Barbuda and Barbados mean "bearded". This may refer to the occurrence either of bearded Indians that were found there or to the Wild Fig (Ficus sp.), which has a bearded appearance with its aerial roots dropping from lower branches. The latter is more likely explanation. In Sebastian Cabot's map of 1544, both islands, and these only in the Eastern Caribbean have curious dots around them, and believed by some to represent reefs. So it may be that foaming breakers may have reminded early explorers of islands with beards. Take your pick on the origin of the name!

In 1628, settlers from St. Kitts knew Barbuda as "Dulcina" for its "excellence and pleasantnesse thereof", but it soon reverted back to the name Barbuda."...

****
EXCERPT OF ARTICLE ABOUT BARBUDA POST-HURRICANE IRMA
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/14/barbuda-hurricane-irama-devastation/665950001/ "For first time in 300 years, there�s not a single living person on the island of Barbuda'" by T.J. Raphael, PRI.org Published 11:40 a.m. ET Sept. 14, 2017 | Updated 12:30 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2017
"Barbuda has been left completely devastated by Hurricane Irma. An estimated 95% of Barbuda�s structures are damaged, and the entire island of around 1,800 people has been evacuated.

�The damage is complete,� says Ambassador Ronald Sanders, who has served as Antigua and Barbuda�s ambassador to the U.S. since 2015. �For the first time in 300 years, there�s not a single living person on the island of Barbuda � a civilization that has existed on that island for over 300 years has now been extinguished.�

According to Sanders, Irma was �the most ferocious, cruel and merciless storm� in the island�s history. The hurricane was 378 miles wide when it descended on Barbuda, which is just 62 square miles.

�This was a huge monster,� he says. �The island and the people on the island had absolutely no chance.�

Evacuees from Barbuda were sent to Antigua, which did not suffer the same level of damage from Irma.

[...]

Right now, initial estimates suggest that Barbuda will need about $200 million to recover. Antigua and Barbuda will create a sustainable development plan for rebuilding Barbuda, Sanders says, adding that he hopes the global community will provide humanitarian recovery aid.

�We have declared a state of emergency in Barbuda because it is a complete disaster and uninhabitable,� he says. �We cannot cope with our own resources alone.�

In addition to financial aid, Sanders says the global community must also stand up to climate change.

�We believe climate change is here to stay � it�s a reality, despite all of the naysayers,� he says. �We know that these things have occurred as a result of the profligacy of the countries that are rich, and have abused the system. We, unfortunately, who contribute less than naught point naught percent of pollution of the world�s atmosphere, are the world�s greatest victims.�...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Codrington / Barbuda



Silesian Sailor, Published on Aug 22, 2015

A stroll through Codrington, the capital of Barbuda.
-snip-
This is the only comment is posted to this video's discussion thread
Queen B forever, July 2017
"Wow Barbuda is so clean and beautiful. I would like to visit someday. I heard the ppl are so friendly.?"

****
BARBUDA ~ Coco Point ~ Best UAV Drone Caribbean Aerials ~ WeBeYachting.com



Capt Eric Bergeron, Published on May 24, 2016

Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, that forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,638 (at the 2011 Census), most of whom live in the town of Codrington. The island is famous for its beautiful pristine pink coral sand beaches. Low Bay beach is 17 of unbroken miles of pink sand beach. With mysterious abandoned forts, Neolithic caves and beachfront untouched since the days of Christopher Columbus, Barbuda is host to a wild bird sanctuary standing on a mesmerizing lagoon. A liberal scattering of ancient shipwrecks off its shores, Barbuda is both the deepest retreat into solitude you could dream of and almost untouched to the world.

Destinations in this video: Coco Point, Barbuda.

Filmed by Annie & Captain Eric Bergeron
Edited on Final Cut Pro X on Mac
Camera: DJI Osmo, Nikon S9900, Phantom 3 Professional, GoPro 4 Black & DJI Inspire 1
Music By: From Gold ~ Novo Amor

[...]
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
Capt Eric Bergeron, February 2017
8 months ago
Its one of our favorite places to bring our guests to visit. The anchorage at Coco point is outstanding.
Thank you for watching,
Cheers from Sint Maarten?
-snip-
The people of the Caribbean nations of Sint Maarten and Saint Martin were devastated by Hurricane Irma.

****
Example #e: Aerial View of Barbuda - Survivors tell Irma Story



Climate State, Published on Sep 6, 2017

Video by ABS Television / Radio - For more coverage and information from Barbuda visit their page https://www.facebook.com/abstvradio
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:

Roxann Webbe, 2017
"thanks for sharing you[r] story. Continue to stand with each other. we stand with you in the Caribbean."

****
Thanks ?for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Antigua Barbuda Caribbean music and dance Hurricane Irma

Read More

Early 20th Century Versions Of African American Folk Songs With The Lyrics "When I Die Bury Me Deep" Or "Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases text (word only) examples of two groups of songs from the early twentieth century that include the lyrics "pickle my bones in alcohol"* or "sticks and stones may break my bones". These text examples are from the "Drink And Gambling Song" section of the full text of "The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society".

*Songs with the lyrics "pickle my bones in alcohol" may be better known now as songs or verses that begin with the lyrics "when I die/bury me deep" or similar text.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of these songs and thanks to Frank C. Brown and other members of the North Carolina Folkloric Society for collecting these and other songs. Thanks also to the publishers of this collection online.
-snip-
[Added September 15, 2017]
The Addendum to this post showcased the "When I Die" (pickle my bones in alcohol" song/rhyme in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes, Wise And Otherwise.

****
EXCERPT FROM THE FRANK C BROWN COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
[pages 38-40; text examples #69-#72]

Note that the commentary in this excerpt uses the now retired referent "Negro" for "African Americans".]

From https://archive.org/stream/frankcbrowncolle03fran/frankcbrowncolle03fran_djvu.txt

"38. Pickle My Bones in Alcohol 69

39. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones 71


38
Pickle My Bones in Alcohol

This jocose jingle seems to have a special appeal for Negroes, though it is not confined to them nor is it, probably, of Negro origin. It has been reported from New York (ANFS 368), Tennessee (JAFL XXVIII 130), North Carolina (FSSH 438), Georgia (FSSH 438), Missouri (OFS iii 197-8), and from Negroes in Mississippi (JAFL xxviii 130). In a form which probably is of Negro origin 'lasses and corn bread take the place of alcohol : so in a text reported from Alabama Negroes (ANFS 277) and in some of our North Carolina texts. Or the two notions may be combined, as in our A text and in Negro versions reported from Alabama (ANFS 368-9) and without specific locale bv Talley (Negro Folk Rhymes 26).

'When I Die.' Reported by Julian P. Boyd, Alliance, Pamlico county, as obtained from Duval Scott, a pupil in the school there.

I When I die don't bury me deep ;
Put a jug o' 'lasses at my feet.

Put a pone o' bread in my hand,
And I'll sop my way to the promised land!

When I die don't bury me at all ;
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.

Put a bottle of booze at my head and feet,
And then PU know that 1 will keep.

For Pm a man w4io must have a little likker
When Pm dry, dry, dry !


'When Colonel Died.' Reported by Miss Gertrude Allen (afterwards Mrs. Vaught ) from Taylorsville, Alexander county. Not dated.

I When Colonel died with a bottle by his side

2 When I die don't bury me at all.
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.

3 Put a bottle of booze at my head and feet
And say, 'Colonel died in joy complete.'

c

'Drinking Song.' From Lucille Cheek, Chatham county.

Oh, when I die don't bury me at all ;
Just pickle my bones in alcohol.
Place a bottle of booze at my head and feet.
Tell all the girls Pve gone to sleep.


'When I Die.' From ]\Iiss F. Shuma, in 1920. Location not given. The same as C except the last line, which runs : "So these old bones shall rest in peace."

'When I Die.' From Miss Kate S. Russell, Person county. Here the alcohol has disappeared.

When I die, want you bury me deep.
Put a jug of lasses at my head and feet.
Pone corn bread in the palm of my hand ;
Going to sop lasses in de promised land.


'O When I Die Don't Bury :\Ie Deep.' Contributed in 1919 by H. H.
Hanchey as heard in the southeastern part of North CaroHna. Like E,
but has its last line in the more familiar fdrni: "So I kin sop my way
to de promise land."


DRINK AND GAMBLING SONGS 71

39
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

This line is found in Negro songs reported from North Carolina and Alabama (ANFS 145) which are not specifically drinking songs but are concerned, like the texts here presented, with the singer's posthumous reputation � an element which Dr. White says occurs "in various spirituals."

'A Drunkard's Song.' Contributed in 1913 by William B. Covington with the notation : "Reminiscences of my early youth spent in the country on the border of the sand hills of Scotland County."

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

Say what you please when I'm dead and gone;

But I'm gona drink corn liquor till I die,

Till I die, till I die,

I'm gona drink corn liquor till I die.

B

'Song.' From Louise W. Sloan, Bladen county. No date given.

I'm a-living high till I die.

Bet your life I'm a-living mighty high;

Oh, sticks and stones for to breaker my bones,

I know you'll talk about me when I'm gone

But I'm a-living high till I die.


'Ise Gwine to Live in de Harvest.' Reported by Julian P. Boyd as obtained from Duval Scott, one of his pupils in the school at Alliance, Pamlico county.

1 Ise gwine to live in de harvest.
Till I die, till I die ;

Life Ise livin' is not so very high ;

Sticks and stones gwine break my bones,

I know you gwine talk about me when Ise gone ;

Ise gwine live in de harvest till I die !

2 Ise gwine build me a graveyard
Of my own, of my own !

Ise gwine build me a graveyard of my own.
Sticks and stones gwine break my bones,
I know you gwnne talk about me when Ise gone.
Ise gwine live in de harvest till I die !



72 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

40
Just Kick the Dust over my Coffin

In form this is akin to 'Pickle My Bones in Alcohol,' above ; but its spirit is somewhat different, the speaker being about to die of love, and perhaps it should not be here among the drinking songs. I have not found it elsewhere. The manuscript is without name in the Collection, but from surrounding circumstances it is believed to have come from Obadiah Johnson of Crossnore, Avery county.

1 Just kick the dust over my coffin.
Say, 'There lies a jovial young lad :'
Pile the earth upon my carcass/
Then carve on the stone at my head :

Chorus:

Oh, ain't it a wonderful story
That love it will kill a man dead.

2 Oh, none of you bawling and squalling
Around me as tho' you'd gone mad ;
Just kick the dust over my coffin

And tell my true love that I said : " "

****
ADDENDUM- AN EXAMPLE OF THE "WHEN I DIE" SONG/RHYME FROM THOMAS WE. TALLEY'S 1922 BOOK "NEGRO FOLK RHYMES: WISE AND OTHERWISE"
From https://archive.org/stream/negrofolkrhymesw00talluoft/negrofolkrhymesw00talluoft_djvu.txt

[page] 25

"WHEN MY WIFE DIES

WEN my wife dies, gwineter git me anudder one;
A big fat yaller one, jes lak de yudder one.
I'll hate mighty bad, w'en she's been gone.
Hain't no better 'oman never nowhars been bo'n.

Wen I comes to die, you mus'n' bury me deep,
But put Sogrum molasses close by my feet.
Put a pone o' co'n bread way down in my han'.
Gwineter sop on de way to de Promus' Lan'.

Wen I goes to die, Nobody mus'n' cry,
Mus'n' dress up in black, fer I mought come back.
But w'en I'se been dead, an' almos' fergotten;
You mought think about me an' keep on a-trottin'.

Railly, w'en I'se been dead, you needn* bury me

at tall.

You mought pickle my bones down in alkihall ;
Den fold my ban's "so," right across my breas';
An* go an' tell de folks I'se done gone to "res'.""
-snip-
Here are my explanation for the word followed by an asterisk and the descriptor "yaller".

*needs= don't need to

"Yaller" = a light skinned Black person

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American folk songs African American sayings early 20th century African American songs military cadences

Read More

Examples Of The Vernacular Sayings "Killing It", "Killed It", "She Killed Me" In YouTube Discussion Threads For A Nigerian Dance Challenge Video And/Or A Nigerian Afrobeat Video

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents selected examples of forms of the African American originated idioms "killing it", "killed it " and a form of the expression "I'm Dead" in discussion threads for a Nigerian based YouTube dance challenge video and/or a Nigerian Afrobeat music video.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these showcase videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube.

****
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-killing-it-means-how-it-got-those.html for a related 2013 pancocojams post entitled "African American Vernacular English: What "Killing It" Means & How It Got Those Slang Meanings".

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/africans-use-of-african-american.html for the March 22, 2017 pancocojams post "Africans Use Of African American Vernacular English Terms In The Discussion Thread Of Skales' "Shake Body" Official YouTube Video (Part I: A-K). Skales is also a Nigerian recording artist. The linked post documents examples of comments from that video's discussion thread that contain "killing it" and other African American originated vernacular sayings.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1: Who Killed Makolongulu? 1,2,3 or 4?


BM Official Published on Aug 21, 2016

Comment below on who killed this dance!
-snip-
"Makolongulu" is a Nigerian dance. I think it is the same as or very similar to Ndombolo.

BM, a Nigerian Afrobeat recording artist, has several other "Who Killed ___?" compilation videos. These videos are short clips of (usually) women dancing a particular type of Nigerian dance. Viewers are then asked to indicate which dance they believe danced the best (i.e. "killed it".) The background music for each video is a song that BM recorded.

****
SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT" AND "__ KILLED ME" FROM A DISCUSSION THREAD FOR A NIGERIAN DANCE CHALLENGE VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something very very well".

Several comments in this section document the use of "[she] killed me". That vernacular form of "killed" appears to denote that the commenter has a very strong amount of attraction for the woman (who kills him) because of her physical beauty and sensuality.

Or

In the context of these examples in which viewers were supposed to indicate which dancer "killed it" (danced the best), the term "[__] killed me" may mean that person filled them with strong positive emotions because of the quality of the person's dancing or some other reason/s besides the dancer[s]' physical beauty and sensuality.

I don't believe that this vernacular form [i.e. "she or he killed me"] with either of those positive meanings is found among African Americans or other Americans.

file:///C:/Users/azizi/Downloads/USA-Idioms%20(3).pdf "US Slang, Idioms, or Other Frequently Heard Expressions" gives this meaning for the similar American idiom "You kill me": "You are very funny OR you are making things difficult for me"
-snip-
Like all of these "killing" sayings, "You kill me" is a figurative saying (since they don't really mean that anyone will be or has been physically murdered). An explanation for the second meaning of "You kill me" (as given above) in the United States is that a person caused trouble or the potential for trouble because of his or her foolish words or actions.

Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread.

These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only

1. BAMUJOBS, 2016
"1 killed Makolongulu, but 4 killed me. She's fyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyn."

**
2. Luke Diego, 2016
"number 1 oooo, she killed both makolongulu and me"
-snip-
Regarding the "oooo"s in this comment, if I understand it correctly, in Yoruba language, one or more "o's at the end of a sentence or a statement emphasizes that sentence or statement.

**
3. Marsha Anis, 2017
"1she killed. she flow like liquid.."

**
4. Montoute jonathan, 2017
"i think exactly the same lool #4 killed me alsoo she's so beautiful"
-snip-
I think "lool" is the text/internet term "lol" ("laughing out loud")

**
5. Amisa Kumwene, 2017
"2&4 killed me"person f

**
6. Madam Africa, 2017
"If you a fool if you did not pick #1 honestly she murder it like come on now give credit where it is due"

**
7. Anime god, 2017
"1 killed that all the way"

**
8. Zaafirah013
"1 was the best. My favorite. She killed it. A natural."

**
9. Yacouba Bogre
"3 killed makologulu"

**
10. Dougie DoinIt
"they all killed it nobody in native USA can do it"

****
SHOWCASE #2: Falz - Marry Me (Official Video) ft. Yemi Alade, Poe



Falz, VEVO Published on Dec 5, 2014
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series about this song. Part I includes this video and lyrics for this song. The link for Part II is included in that post. Part II includes selected comments from this video's discussion thread and from two other Nigerian based online discussion threads about features of Yoruba (Nigeria) language.

****
SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT", "KILLING IT" AND "I'M DEAD" FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it"/"killing it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something or doing something very very well".

The only example in this discussion thread that has a form similar to "[___] killed me" is given as #16 which includes the statement "Her Smiles kills me." I think this sentence means that the commenter really loves the female singer's smile, but this form is different from any African American vernacular forms of "kills"/murder etc".

Then again, there is the Roberta Flack hit song "Killing Me Softly With His Song" which I think means that the person making the comment felt such strong emotions while hearing that song that she figuratively felt she was dying.

The African American originated saying "I'm dead" (which is sometimes shortened to "Dead") means that someone said or did something that was or is hilarious. "I'm dead" is a shortened form of the figurative expression "I died laughing" (meaning I laughed so hard [so much] that my stomach or ribs hurt and I felt like I was dying."

Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread:

These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

1. Nalouchaa, 2015
"Loool OMG im dead !!! The end of the video killed me!!! Awesome work guys! Love the song !! Love the video !! Damn there were some handsome men at this reception lol"

**
2. Yama S, 2015
"The ending killed me. I can't stop laughing. I'm surprised I manged to type this"

**
3. Ohunene S., 2015
"+ukia Stardoll laff wan kill me.

**
4. EverydaypeoplebyLydia, 2015
"I die oooo .... This guy has killed me .. LOL"

**
5. Adnan Bashorun, 2015
"ma boi falz killed it"

**
6. GushGossipBlog, 2015
"I'm in LOVE with this song & video - hilarious! Falz, POE & Yemi killed it - so refreshing for the Nigerian
music scene <3"

**
7. sight read, 2015
"Haahahahaha #falz no go kill person ooooooh, dis video is so hilarious I really enjoyed it, big up #yemi-alade pon dis one. ..."

**
8. YaylowTV, 2015
"Nice work Falz. +Yemi Alade, you killed the hook."
-snip-
"You killed the hook" = You sang the hook (chorus) really really well. An equivalent African American Vernacular English term that I haven't found in Nigerian or other African based YouTube videos' discussion threads is "sang" (in its African American vernacular present tense form, which means "to sing very well, especially to sing soulfully very well.)

**
9. dpencilpusher, 2015
"Falz, Yemi & Poe killed it. Video goes too well with the song. Watched it 3 times already; cracked me up each time. Also, big kudos to the actresses who synced with the lyrics, they nailed it."

**
10. timithankgod, 2015
Hahahahahahahahahahahahah i don die o... funny video
-snip-
I think that the equivalent African American vernacular saying for " i don die o" is I�m dead� which also later evolved to "Dead".

**
11. Ifeanyi Ilogbaka, 2015
"Yemi alade killed it on this one.she is the reason I like d song"

**
12. garba baba, 2015
"Love this song, they kill it all"

**
13. Child Of The Rift, 2016
"LMAO You just mudered me!"

**
14. Tobi Daada, 2016
"Falz. Killing it on a steady."

**
15. Adesewa, 2016
"oh my gosh this video killed me"

**
16. Victor PANCHO, 2016
"OK, i give up... i cant stay quiet, i dont know which i like here on this video, is it Falz, Yemi Alade, Poe or Poe's Bride?? I'm so thrilled by that bride, Her Smiles kills me... That make up on her, Golden!! Wetin!? How una jst deh make my heart pound andytime i watch this video!!???"

**
17. Elizabeth Onyekwere, 2017
"OMG.....Laugh wan kill me die...hahahahaaa..why did she faint lol?"

****
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American Vernacular English Makolongulu dance Nigerian AfroBeat music Nigerian culture Yoruba H Factor Yoruba language

Read More

Comments About Yoruba "H Factor" & Other Yoruba "Lingo" In Falz's "Marry Me" Song (Nigeria, West Africa)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that features the 2014 Nigerian Afrobeat/Rap song "Marry Me" by Falz featuring Yemi Alade, and Poe.

Part II features selected online comments about what is commonly referred to as the "H factor" among Yoruba people (Nigeria, West Africa). These comments are culled from the YouTube discussion thread for the official video of Falz's "Marry Me" song and from three other Nigerian based online discussion threads.

Part II also includes selected comments from the YouTube discussion thread of Falz's "Marry Me" video about other aspects of language use by Falz and by other "Marry Me" performers.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases a video of "Marry Me" and provides the lyrics to that song from an online page. This post also includes [possible] meanings for Yoruba or Nigerian Pidgin English words/phrases using Google Translate and various online Nigerian Pidgin English pages. Additions and corrections are very welcome.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/examples-of-vernacular-sayings-killing.html for other selected comments from the discussion thread of the official video of Falz's song "Marry Me".

****
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a linguist and the only language that I understand is English (including some forms of African American Vernacular English).

I had never heard of "H Factor" until I read comments in the discussion thread for Falz's "Marry Me" song,.

****
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Click Part I of this series for the official video of Falz (featuring Yemi Alade and Poe)'s song "Marry Me". Part I also includes lyrics for that song (in English, Nigerian Pidgin English, and Yoruba) as well as some explanations for the Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English words & phrases in those lyrics.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "FACTOR H" FROM TWO NAIRALAND.COM DISCUSSION THREADS
The comments in each Excerpt are given in chronological order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

EXCERPT #1:
From http://secretlilies.blogspot.com/2011/11/h-factor.html
Saturday, November 26, 2011
"The "H" factor
..."When I talk about the "H" factor, I mean the fact that when people talk they can't pronounce words that start with the letter "H". For instance instead of saying "house" they pronounce it " ouse", leaving the "h", where I do not know.

[...]

The reason why they do this is cos for instance in the Yoruba language if I am not mistaken there isn't a letter "H". Its like it just vanished into thin air..LOL. So it is quiet difficult to transit from the rules in Yoruba language to the rules in the English language.

[...]

In the french language the letter "H" is silent for instance the word " Haricot", which means beans (don't forget that every word has to be spelt with an article), is pronounced "aricot". Now when the french converse in English they find it difficult pronouncing the letter "H", which isn't silent or hidden but present in the English language.

The truth:

Yoruba language is very similar to the french language but when the Yorubas pronounce English words without the "H" etc we see this as being razz, local, bush, uneducated etc.. but when the french make the same mistake it goes this way: " oh you know English isn't their first language, its allowed."..
-snip-
Selected Comments:
1. CheNovember 27, 2011 at 1:33 PM
"LOL @ the H factor. I laugh whenever i hear it. The igbo's also have their own too. Some mix the "l" and "r". E.g., instead of saying *I want to cross the road*, it comes out as *I want to cross the load*. lol (I'm igbo so i'm not hating :-)). Thanks for stopping by my blog. Following you right back.

naijabankgirl.blogspot.com

**
2. Amaka's NotepadNovember 29, 2011 at 3:09 AM
"lol. Yeah, ibos have the 'R' and 'L' issue, the Hausas - 'P' and 'F' (Progrss promounced 'frogress'), Yourubas - Loss of 'H'('ouse) and 'SH' (which comes out as just 'S' for ibadan people. making Shoe sound like 'sue') Then we have the Akwa-Ibom people who have a 'J' to 'Y' issue (where Junction becomes 'yunction' and John become 'yohn') That is what makes Naija so unique, Diverse yet one country.

UP NAIJA!!!!"

****
EXCERPT #2
From http://www.nairaland.com/229011/whats-h-factor
1. Whats With The H - Factor ? by Nobody: 4:18pm On Feb 04, 2009
"dis is really getting serious, everyday when i walk on the road i hear people saying a lot of scary words, like instead of egg, i hear hegg, or hold man instead of old man. then i also hear eaven instead of heaven or appy instead of happy.

pls i am not trying to discriminate but is they no way we can help the situation"

Comments pls,"

**
2. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by spikedcylinder: 4:23pm On Feb 04, 2009
"I think its because there's no "H" in the Yoruba language so people try to compensate on way or the other. cheesy"

**
3. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by folkzy(f): 10:31am On Feb 05, 2009
"As a matter of fact, it has something to do with where your from. For Yoruba people, there is no H in their language, hence why some people find the hard to pronounce the 'H' sound or use the H sound wrongly. I used to be a typical example, i was taught the right way whilst working in a primary school as some children used to correct me which was embarrasing."

**
4. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 11:10am On Feb 05, 2009
"Be it Yoruba 'H' factor, Hausa 'F' factor or Igbo 'R' factor, I don't have any problem with it, but I always feel scandalized when I hear it on TV or Radio from News casters. It shouldn't be excused from them."

**
5. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 12:41pm On Feb 05, 2009
"It bothers me when I hear it on air, it is happauling you know! Grin"

****
EXCERPT #3
From http://www.nairaland.com/3138313/test-h-factor
1. Test If You Have H-factor by dadee007(m): 4:58pm On May 31, 2016
"H-Factor is when someone has trouble pronouncing words that have the letter H in them or pronouncing words that do not have the letter H in them as having the H sound. You can test yourself and check your H-factor-compliance by reciting aloud, the sentence below in 5 seconds. If you have difficulty reading it out aloud correctly, you have the dreaded H-factor. But not to worry, at least you now know and you can retrain yourself to lose the H factor. Cheers.

It is advisable to have someone with you to monitor your compliance. Have Fun! courtesy laffhub.com.

''Our hot air hostess handed us hot oats, as she had in her hand our air fare.''"

**
2. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Ultimus: 5:52pm On May 31, 2016
"If you have any difficulty reading aloud the statement it might be because the statement reads like a tongue twister and not really due to having h factor. I suppose a proper oral English test should be an accurate determinant."

**
3. Re:Test If You Have H-factor by Phonefanatic: 5:53pm On May 31, 2016
"Who H factor help in this harsh economy?

You guys shouldn't get me angry this evening oo"

**
4. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Nobody: 5:54pm On May 31, 2016
"It's more common among the Yorubas; just as the Igbos find themselves in between Scylla and Charybdis when they have to pronounce words that begin with the letter 'R' or 'L'."

****
SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT THE "H FACTOR" AND OTHER SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT PRONUNCIATION
From the YouTube discussion thread of the official video for Falz's "Marry Me" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzlN0AbPgQ

These comments are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest comments by year given first, except for replies. Numbers have been assigned for referencing purposes only.

Read the lyrics and the Nigerian Pidgin English definitions that are given in Part I of this pancocojams series for explanations about some of the comments that are found below.

1. Muyi Ibidun, 2015
"It interesting to see that a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon of tribal bashing based on the way this act has chosen to sing in very strong Yoruba accent. FYI, IT IS DELIBERATE. If you dont know Falz, then you need to do your home work. He is a UK trained and certified Lawyer, he speaks correct and normal English off camera. Speaking in strong Yoruba accent is his selling point. You need to check him out on Instagram where he has a lot of comedy skits and fans.

And by the way, I really dont see the big deal in singing in unadulterated Nigerian accent. Americans dont sing to pacify nobody. If you dont understand what he is saying, better you enjoy the sound or move on to some other videos. Expressing disappointment that an African artist sing in too strong African Accent is very lame.

**
Reply
2. Mansa Koabi, 2015
"+Muyi Ibidun Tell them nwanne preach."

**
Reply
3. Ajojocraig, 2015
"Tell them oo. The ones that know how to speak correct English. Mcheww

**
Reply
4. Alexander Odofin, 2015
"I'm only mildly amused. The music isn't for everyone. Complaining about his accent is pure ignorance, coupled with a finite dose of inferiority complex."

**
Reply
5. Afrimedia, 2016
"+Muyi Ibidun Muyi don't worry yourself.....it is you making it an issue....we don't need any explanation, on whether he can speak Queens English or not , Falz is really HOT right now, he is great. This Jam is smoking , Vid is hilarious ! Its all good."

**
Reply
6. Antoria Lee, 2017
"Maaaaaaaaan I'm a super southern American (accent and upbringing) but this speaks to my soul. Imma learn Yoruba and neva look back.

Btw I understand all of it, if you don't, oh wells this song is ??"

****
7. ACCRA [dot] ALT Radio, 2015
"Hey from Accra! We love Falz in Ghana particularly because of this "accent" that folks don't seem to be happy with.Why? because it's such a beautiful representation of a manner of expression that is prevalent throughout the continent. Africans have a unique way of speaking and we embrace it. We don't have to sound any other way but like ourselves.This fascination with the english language as a measure of intelligence and social acceptance is most unfortunate."

**
8. Lanre Koby Shonowo, 2015
"Love how he brought the Naija lingo in the song i.e you know my (h)age, I'm twenty (h)eight...attention to detail lol...

**
Reply
9. Natalie C, 2016
"He is doing it on purpose...listen to him speak in real life and you'll understand"

**
10. Akinola Ogunseitan, 2015
"This video is so funny, the obvious H factor was on purpose.
Love the story line."

**
11. omaricha, 2015
"yoruba people and H syndrome! What the hell is "follow me OME" and Twenty Hate??? Lol Razz people. Hincedent! Hingredient! Lmao!"
-snip-
Note: "Omaricha" is an Igbo name.

**
Reply
12. omaricha, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas Lmao! I touched a nerve....hahaha U must have H factor"

**
Reply
13. Samuel kings, 2015
"+omaricha You two should be ashamed of yourselves, as a Nigerian who has been living in the USA for more than a decade, it's a shame that i come on you-tube to enjoy good African music, and here i see two people from same country insulting themselves over minor issue. What a shame"

**
Reply
14. akoms1, 2015
"Pls forgive us. I apologise on behalf of all Yorubas. But you sure know that the igbos are more enlightened and better than everybody. Once again, forgive the Yorubas for not pronouncing an English word properly."
-snip-
My guess is that this comment was written sarcastically.

**
Reply
15. omaricha, 2015
"+akoms1
We Igbos are taking this Hapology Hinto consideration! Hand you will be duly notified!"

**
Reply
16. tosan, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas take it easy o.... it was just a joke. Omaricha mean no harm."

**
Reply
17. Olu OJ, 2015
"Tosan, that wasn't no joke. Her words are derogatory. It's typical of people from her tribe. Always trying hard to discredit Yoruba's effort."

**
Reply
18. latichina5, 2015
"Lmao!!! Omaricha you will feel the wrath of every yorouba people on the Internet."

**
Reply
19. Uzoamaka Joe-Nkamuke, 2015
"+Olu OJ Wow!!! so u used the comment of 1 person to describe a tribe of over 30million pple. you r no different from her then."

**
20. JustForYou?, 2015
"Lol the H factor is real...but I love the video"

**
21. Tee Jay, 2015
"Lmao.....hilarious video...good job guys! BTW that "H" factor kills me, i cant stop laughing .... twenty "Hate".....see me see trouble ooooo!"

**
22. mimisnando, 2015
"It's pidgin English and not Patois or what some people think it is"

**
23. Sunny N, 2015
"Hahaha love the ending, by the way what is twenty hate"

**
Reply
24. odinese nwad, 2015
"28...pretending as if u don't know"

**
25. Adewanle Adeyekun, 2015
"Poe is a hella of a rapper. Wow, no formed American accent, just pure originality. "

**
Reply
26. MrEdwin10pa, 2016
"Poe's spittin in a nigerian accent is so dope... more like him needed"
-snip-
"spittin" = rapping

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Nigerian AfroBeat music Nigerian culture Yoruba H Factor Yoruba language

Read More

Falz featuring Yemi Alade, Poe - Marry Me (Nigerian Afrobeat/Rap song video & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that features the 2014 Nigerian Afrobeat/Rap song "Marry Me" by Falz featuring Yemi Alade, and Poe.

Part I showcases a video of "Marry Me" and provides the lyrics to that song from an online page. This post also includes [possible] meanings for Yoruba or Nigerian Pidgin English words/phrases using Google Translate and various online Nigerian Pidgin English pages. Additions and corrections are very welcome.*

*Unfortunately, I only understand English. I recognize that looking up the definitions of individual Yoruba or Nigerian Pidgin English words or combinations of words via Google translate or online Nigerian Pidgin is often an inadequate effort that may yield no result or wrong results particularly as they pertain to informal or slang usage.

However, I'm including these possible definitions of Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English words and phrases in this featured song because-as of the time of this post's publication- no online lyric pages Falz's "Marry Me" includes any definition/explanation for those words/phrases. It's my hope that these attempted explanations correctly add some meaning to this song.

It's also my hope that people who know Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English will correct the definitions that need correcting and add information about these words/phrases in the comment section below or in the video's discussion thread. Thanks in advance.

****
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/comments-about-yoruba-h-factor-other.html for Part II of this series. Part II features selected online comments about what is commonly referred to as the "H factor" among Yoruba people. These comments are culled from the YouTube discussion thread for Falz's "Marry Me" official video and other several Nigerian based online discussion threads. Part II also includes selected comments from the YouTube discussion thread of Falz's "Marry Me" video about other aspects of language use by "Marry Me" performers.

****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer of "Marry Me" and thanks to Falz, Yemi Alade, and Poe for their creative performances. Thanks also to all those who were involved in the production of this video, all those who are quoted in this post, and the publisher of that video on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Falz - Marry Me (Official Video) ft. Yemi Alade, Poe



Falz, VEVO Published on Dec 5, 2014
-snip-
Statistics as of September 11, 2017 (9:30 PM EDT)
Total number of views-3,769,789
Total number of comments - 914

****
LYRICS: MARRY ME
(as performed by Falz featuring Yemi Alade and Poe)

Classic
Alright
Yemi Alade�.Poe�Effyzie baby
See ah, i talked to friends, cousins
You guys have said different things
But i could understand one thing from what you guys are telling me
Let me know if i am correct
Ah�see

Verse 1. (Poe)
I�ve met so many babes. Jealous of their friends.
Used to the heartache So they�ve give up on men
But, what is depressing is the older they�re getting.
Whenever they meet a man they�re already planing out the wedding
Ha!
See the pressure from their nosy family members
�Bisi when did you last date? I�m trying to remember �
She too would front, like �what difference does it make?�
But she�s always at receptions and she catches the bouquet.
Asking me if it�s fate. I don�t know what to tell her.
She told her pastor she�s lonely. He told her to go and pray.
Ah ah! Guy! That�s the problem that we face. U want to skip girlfriend and go straight to fianc�
So I pray for my sister, cousins, ex-lovers. This girl. That girl. Even divorced mothers.
May you smile, and toast with some Chardonnay.
I hope I see you when we�re spraying on a Saturday.�

Chorus (Yemi Alade)
See me see Trouble! brother you go Marry Me oh!
See me see trouble! when you go marry me oh?
See we�ve been dating for many years now you want to leave me follow Fola
See me trouble! You go marry me oh
Today Today eh
Today Today
Today Today eh
Today Today
Eh eh eh eh eh (x2)

Verse 2. (Falz)
She say mi o gbo yen! No I no want no story
I can�t befriend you if you don�t propose to me
If you didn�t know, wo, Aburo mi ti marry
Mi o young Moti fe d�arugbo physically
You know I�m not a small girl
You know my age
Even Bola wey no fine sef
She don engage
It will not work, aww! Shey emi l�o n korin fun?
Don�t call me honey if we will not go for honeymoon
If you don�t pick a date we might not get to date
Don�t get it twisted it�s not like I�m desperate
I just have a life plan and it�s getting late
I want to be a Mrs by the time I�m 28
Brother John said the Lord said his wife is me
But that vision is for only his eyes to see
I want a man that is handsome and God-fearing
If he can love me with his heart and I�m not sharing

Chorus (Yemi Alade)
See me see Trouble! brother you go Marry Me oh!
See me see trouble! when you go marry me oh?
See we�ve been dating for many years now you want to leave me follow Fola
See me trouble! You go marry me oh
Today Today eh
Today Today
Today Today eh
Today Today
Eh eh eh eh eh (x2)

Bridge (Yemi Alade)
You don�t wanna Marry Me, you just wanna friend me
Brother you dey dull me oh
Shebi you dey tell me
We go go Miami
When we go see mummy oh?
Why you dey do me so
All of my friends dem don marry go
Right now my brother I�m 28
All of the boys no dey come my gate

Verse 3. (Falz)
Baby I�m loving all the love that u�ve shown
Everytime you call me and we talk on the phone
See man cannot be a boss on his own
You need somebody to give you support on the throne
Oh if you ready pop the question then go!
I�m like what do you mean? She say stop jor you know!
Are you saying I no fine reach so?
Emi High Class, ehn, Omo lepa Siringo
See me and you was just a incident
We can�t be sleeping together because we dream different
I�m even thinking that you�re still decent
You�re irritating, inyama! I�m seeing vincent
My last boyfriend, it�s still recent,
I was happy and love was a ingredient.
So for me this dating thing is dead
He broke my heart, you�re repeating all the things he said.

Chorus (Yemi Alade)
See me see Trouble! brother you go Marry Me oh!
See me see trouble! when you go marry me oh?
See we�ve been dating for many years now you want to leave me follow Fola
See me trouble! You go marry me oh
Today Today eh
Today Today
Today Today eh
Today Today
Eh eh eh eh eh (x2)


Submitted by Femi Soro
http://www.freenaijalyrics.com/lyrics-falz-marry-ft-yemi-alade-poe/

****
NOTES ABOUT THIS SONG INCLUDING POSSIBLE MEANINGS FOR YORUBA OR NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH WORDS IN THIS SONG*
*Please correct and add to these definitions/explanations. Thanks!

YORUBA WORDS/PHRASES AND NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH WORDS PHRASES
Sources: Yoruba words: Google translate

Nigerian Pidgin English - from various Nigerian Pidgin English pages including http://www.naijalingo.com/ and https://buzznigeria.com/common-nigerian-words-used-in-place-of-some-english-equivalents/

These words/phrases are given in order of their first use in this song.

"o" at the end of sentences as in "brother you go Marry Me oh!":
In Nigeria "o" at the end of sentences or phrases is usually given as "o". Here's an excerpt from an online article that includes information about Yoruba's use of "o" and two other words:

From http://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/108250-oyinbos-dictionary-to-nigerian-english-by-femke-van-zeijl.html "Oyinbo�s dictionary to Nigerian English by Femke van Zeijl"
"abi, o, now [interjection] To be sprayed generously in conversation at the end of virtually every sentence. The first comes from Yoruba and means �isn�t it�, found its way into Pidgin and now into Nigerian English, used by �, �, �, Ibo, � and Hausa alike. The two latter are mere exclamations emphasising the preceding words. These interjections creep into your sentences without warning. When I added my first �o� after a sentence, my friend Doris looked at me proudly: �You are becoming a proper Nigerian.� I had not even noticed my first �o�."
-snip-
With regards to that article's title: "Oyinbo" is a Yoruba word that originally meant "White man or White woman" and now is also used to mean "foreigner".

Note that in the context of this song "brother" means a man (as in the African American referent "brother man"), not a biological sibling.

**
"Fola" in the lyrics "you want to leave me follow Fola" is a clip of a Yoruba female name (such as "Folasade").
"You want to leave me and (instead) go out with (be with) Fola.

**
mi o gbo yen! = I've heard that [Yoruba/Google translate]

**
The word "wo" in "If you didn�t know" = "look" [Yoruba/Google translate]

**
The word "Aburo" in "Aburo mi ti marry" = friend [Yoruba/Google translate]

**
"Mi o young Moti fe d�arugbo physically" [meaning ?]

The Yoruba word "arugbo"= "old" [Google translate]

**
"Even Bola wey no fine sef/ She don engage" = Even Bola [a clip of a Yoruba female name] who isn't physically attractive got engaged to be married.

""wey" where is [Nigerian Pidgin English]

"sef"= "self" [Nigerian Pidgin English]

**
"Shey emi l�o n korin fun?" [meaning ?]

"Shey" = Right? [Nigerian Pidgin English]

The words "l�o n korin" in = you're living [Yoruba/Google translate]

**
Brother you dey dull me oh [meaning ?] my guess: "Are you trying to treat me like I'm dumb?"

**
The word "Shebi" in "Shebi you dey tell me" = "You agree seeking approval"[ also click the buzznigeria.com link given above for an explanation of the origin of the word "Shebi".] [Nigerian Pidgin English]

The word "dey" in Shebi you dey tell me= "Definition: 1. to be, or to be alive
2. in the process of doing something" (from Naija lingo link given above]

**
The word "jor" in "She say stop jor you know!" [Nigerian Pidgin English] "Definition [for jor"] Please. usually used in a rude way Example: get out of here jor!" source: naija lingo.com; also read entry for "jor" ["joor"] in buzznigeria.com which gives information about "joors" origin from the Yoruba word "ejor".

**
"Are you saying I no fine reach so?
Emi High Class, ehn, Omo lepa Siringo" [meanings ?] My guess is that the first part of these lyrics is something like "Are you saying I'm not good enough for you, I'm not high class enough?" "Emi"= less [Yoruba/Google translate] so "emi high class" may mean "Less than high class"

"Omo" is Yoruba for "child" [Yoruba/Google translate]. But I don't know what "Omo lepa siringo" means. My guess is that she's "callin him out of his name" i.e. saying something insulting to him if he thinks she's not good enough for him to marry.

****
Comment from YouTube discussion thread for the official video of Falz's "Marry Me" about the play on words in the line "You�re irritating, inyama! I�m seeing vincent":
From the YouTube discussion thread of the official video for Falz's "Marry Me" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzlN0AbPgQ
Oluropo Akinbolade-Jones, 2015
"Ha ha ha ha ha. Iyanma(Enyeama) I see vincent. That girl must be a bed hopper for you to say iyanma and also see vincent. What did you see in her area. Vincent's signature? Very funny line. Hope you guys get the gist."

**
Reply
Oluropo Akinbolade-Jones, 2015
"I'll break it down Bola. Iyanma is an expression of disgust in yoruba. It almost has the same pronunciation with the Nigerian goalkeeper's surname Enyeama. You use it when you see something disgusting or disgusted by something. Like in the case of the girl in the rap, she must have like slept with every guy around and the rap seems to suggest Vincent is one of them. So perhaps he's trying to make love to the Marry Me girl and can see something that suggests Vincent has been in that pussy. Iyanma(Enyeama) I see Vincent. Vincent Enyeama Nigerian goalie! Lol"

****
Explanation for the lyrics "Don�t get it twisted it�s not like I�m desperate"
"Don't get it twisted" = African American Vernacular English: "don't jump to the wrong conclusions"; don't get it wrong" [click http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=don%27t%20get%20it%20twisted

****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American Vernacular English Nigerian music and dance Nigerian Pigdin English Yemi Alade Yoruba language

Read More