theLeftAhead

There are two sides to every story. This is mine. My parents never let me feel good about myself. They did so through a number of means, but one of the main tools that they used to keep me down was my weight; having a daughter who was overweight was embarrassing for them. And if I cried over any hurtful comment that they made, I was told that I was…

What’s good, loyal #1uu listeners? It’s been a long time….we shouldn’t have left you without a dope podcast to step to. But alas, here we are 15 months after Episode Three back with #AnothaOne. Welcome to SR Episode Four (A New Hope). This episode of the podcast was recorded at the House of Jeezy Studios on Friday, November 22nd.  And in this fourth installment (and Season One finale), we open…

Greetings, loyal #1uu listeners. I wish we were reconvening under happier circumstances but, given the setback of last Wednesday, it is as important a time as ever to be continuing our on-going conversation about building the labor movement. Obviously, the setback I’m referring to is the United States Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in favor of weakening unions and our movement by striking down public sector “fair share” fees with Wednesday’s…

Is Facebook a necessary evil? Or does it just take enough people who are secure enough in their own self-worth to reject the vanity exercise of needing to seek validation of their lives through “likes” and instead choose to #DeleteFacebook in order to take this flawed corporation down a peg or two? Either way, there’s no question that Facebook can be a toxic wasteland of narcissism and vitriol. I mean,…

“Don’t catch you slippin’ now.”       Childish Gambino – This is America Intro: Choir Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away Bridge: Childish Gambino & Young Thug We just wanna party…

What’s good, #1uu fam? Happy Presidents’ Day! It’s been a minute but we’re finally back. Did you miss us? I’m guessing that some of you might have been starting to think that Solidarity Radio was a one-and-done experiment. Well alas, as your faithful Union CEO, it is my distinct honor to prove the doubters wrong by welcoming you to SR Episode Two (Attack of the Clones). This installment of your…

“I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death.” Legendary hip hop artist Nas celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of his groundbreaking debut album Illmatic by performing it at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra on March 28th & 29th, 2014. Now, almost four years later, PBS is providing the masses a glimpse of this historic event through a new episode of Great Performances. Peep…

Writer’s Note: I don’t know if the following is a rant or a poem or something in between but I wrote it in New York City while ingesting the malodorous, beautiful smell of smog and gazing up at the colossal concrete redwoods as they competed for a glimpse of God. So whatever this writing is, I was inspired to abandon constraint and explore a lack of boundaries for my words…

Hey, everybody. Happy Labor Day and welcome to the inaugural episode of Solidarity Radio! As the Union CEO, it is my privilege to accept the assignment of posting Solidarity Radio to the blog. What is Solidarity Radio? I’m glad you asked. Solidarity Radio is a labor movement podcast hosted by Ted James and Jay-Dao. It is recorded in Denver, CO and is part of the Union Underground imprint. Our goals…

I made some playlists to soundtrack the critical days ahead…       Trump’s America, Volume One   1. Rhime Divine – Expand Your Mind 2. A Tribe Called Quest – We the People…. 3. Lupe Fiasco – Audubon Ballroom 4. Kanye West – Blood on the Leaves 5. The Roots – The OtherSide 6. Rage Against the Machine – Down Rodeo 7. JAY Z – 99 Problems 8. KRS-One…

“We don’t believe you ’cause we the people.”       A Tribe Called Quest – We the People…. Verse One: Q-Tip We don’t believe you ’cause we the people Are still here in the rear, ayo, we don’t need you You in the killing-off-good-young-nigga mood When we get hungry we eat the same fucking food The ramen noodle Your simple voodoo is so maniacal, we’re liable to pull a…

Yesterday afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed Hillary Clinton 2016 supporters about the controversy surrounding Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood video and subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct that have surfaced since its release. No further explanation is needed. Below is the video and full transcript of the most powerful speech that has been delivered during the 2016 General Election campaign to date.     Text of the full…