In class with Professor Griff

By Kwabena Lumumba | Last updated: Nov 21, 2006 - 1:50:00 PM

Professor Griff, minister of information and head of the Soldier�s of the First World (S1W�s), (center) along with brothers who attended his lecture at the Local Organizing Committee event "The Psychology Covert War on Hip Hop" at the Jackson County Commission for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) and Muhammad�s Mosque No. 93.

BIRMINGHAM (FinalCall.com) - The hip hop community is well represented among those who support the Millions More Movement. From the official launch, Public Enemy has been among them and even released a song to help the cause, entitled "Hell No We Ain’t All Right."

The group’s most recent support for the Movement comes from its Minister of Information and head of the S1W’s (Soldier’s of The First World), Professor Griff. At the invitation of the Local Organizing Committee, he gave a lecture entitled "The Psychology Covert War on Hip Hop" at the Jackson County Commission for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) and Nation of Islam's Muhammad’s Mosque No. 93.

The program included speeches, poetry and music, with master drummer Baba Atu setting the tone for the main speaker. Minister Tremon Muhammad and Birmingham’s D.J. Supreme each stressed the importance of Public Enemy and Professor Griff’s contribution to American popular music and shared how they were directly influenced by the group’s work.

During his remarks, it was evident that Professor Griff’s message is still relevant and deeply rooted in the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. "The mission has not changed," he told the audience. "Each one, teach three."

He also advised that we cannot continue to give our energy to shows like "Flavor of Love" and informed the audience to "move on a higher vibratory frequency, not just in our music, but in our every day life."

After his lecture, Professor Griff was briefly interviewed by Aisha "Ms. Brown" Johnson.

Aisha Johnson (AJ): What is the current state of hip hop?

Professor Griff (PG): Hip hop is brain dead. Hip hop needs to be on life support. It has been hijacked by the diabolical ones and now it is unrecognizable to those who created it. The frequency of hip hop needs to be changed.

AJ: What about those rappers who we consider conscious?

PG: Today, when people say that an artist is conscious, it means something totally different than what it used to mean. Back in the day, when an artist was considered conscious, not only would they talk the talk, but they would also walk the walk. Now, hip hop revolutionaries are studio revolutionaries or Internet revolutionaries. They aren’t doing the work in the community.

AJ: What needs to be done to change that?

PG: Accountability. We need to ask ourselves, how is this artist showing some social responsibility? We need to hold them responsible, not only for their lyrics, but also for their deeds. Artists owe their fan base some substance. We need to get together—teacher, preacher, politician and hip hop fans—and go back to the days when we are crushing CDs in the streets.

AJ: You have stressed that we need to change our vibratory frequency. What exactly do you mean by that?

PG: Hip hop is catering to the lower self. We need to get to a point where we begin to put the higher self first. We need to change our frequency, first by raising our individual vibratory frequency. Stop allowing the television to be our center. We need to take time to meditate. We need to get in tune with this concept I like to call "hug life." Hug life is when you simply begin hugging life. It is taking the time to embrace life and hug it.

AJ: For your faithful fans, where can they find you?

PG: My MYspace page is: http://www.myspace.com/proffesorgriffofpublicenemy.

I have a band called the 7th Octave. I also have an ongoing project called Kid Hoppers. It is a Black version of Sesame Street with a hip hop slant.

(For more information, email [email protected] or call (904) 768-2778.)

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