1) Where Have You Been (Hardwell Remix)-Rihanna 

2) Starships (Krunks Ghetto Booty Bass Mix)-Nicki Minaj 

3) Girl Gone Wild (Dave Aude Dub)-Madonna 

4) Somebody That I Used To Love (J Farrell Remix)-Gotye 

5) Molly (Original Mix)-Cedric Gervais 

6) Levels (Baltimore Bounce Edit)-Avicii 

7) 212 (Extended Mix)-Azealia Banks 

8) Turn Up The Music (Chris James Edit)-Chris Brown 

9) Rumor Has It (Joe Maz Remix)-Adele 

10) Move Your Body (Benny Benassi Remix)-Marshall Jefferson 

Check out DJ Relentless for Dirty Mondays at Crews & Tangos on May 21st & May 28th. 

And here's a free download for your listening pleasure: 

DIRTY MONDAYS Sampler Mix

Almost every week I end up bitching about what a DJ has to go through while working.

There are all kinds of disc jockeys in the world. You have the Mobile DJ that handles weddings and bar mitzvahs. And then there’s the Radio DJ who is probably controlled by a set playlist. And then there is the type of DJ I consider myself to be....a Club DJ.

All DJ jobs are very difficult. You are attempting to please a room full of people with what you play. You have to make decisions on where to go with the music. Do you take the request for the song that is 15 to 20 BPM’s slower than where you are or do you continue with what has people on your floor already? What if you are asked to play a genre of music that you don’t know or understand? Or perhaps it’s a genre that you admittedly are opposed to? What are you supposed to do?

Well, the first thing I would like to say is....”The relationship between a DJ and his dancefloor is like a conversation.” You need both sides to have that conversation. You have to listen in order to have the conversation. Unfortunately, I believe that today’s audience is filled with what I call “The ME Generation”. They feel a major sense of entitlement. Each person is only concerned with what they want and no one else. Often the DJ is trying to have the conversation with the floor and these members of The ME Generation come up and try to control the conversation with their request. They think that if they request their song that they will make the DJ change the format and steer the conversation in their direction. 

Now...I know some DJ’s who allow this to happen all the time. There are some who actually only play requests. I guess it keeps them from having to think about their playlist. Or maybe they do it to win some imaginary popularity contest. Anyway...these are the DJ’s I call iPods. Whatever they are told to play, they do. 

My most common interaction with someone of The ME Generation is usually of two different camps here in Toronto. It’s the Popheads and the Caribean Connection. With the Popheads, they want everything played that they have listened to on the radio and their iPods all day. With the Caribean Connection, they think because I am a person of color that not only should I play Reggae and Soca, but that it is a given that those genres are a part of my playlist. 

When I first moved to Toronto, I wrote a blog about why I don’t like to play Reggae. I explained that I had a friend who was Jamaican and was murdered because he was a homosexual. Out of protest of his death and the police not even attempting to find his killer, I decided to remove Reggae from my playlist. I also found that the majority of the most popular Reggae artists recorded what is known as “Murder Music” which has lyrics about killing gay people. In order to remove Reggae from my playlist, I also had to remove Soca. Mainly because if you play Soca then your audience automatically assumes that you are gong to play Reggae.

Now...as a gay man, I just think that the politics behind “Muder Music” won’t allow me to support that genre. With that being said.....have I played Reggae and Soca on my floor since being in Toronto? Well, yes I have. I had to in order to keep my job. Do I own a lot of Reggae and Soca? Absolutely not.  I own some really commercial tracks that have crossed over or are remixed with that flavor. But to honestly say that I am a Reggae and Soca DJ I cannot. That would be like asking me to play Salsa and Merenge. I don’t even speak the language. Even though my heritage is of Puerto Rican, African-American and Caucasion I am an American through and through. My background in music actually ranges from R&B, Jazz, 70’s and 80’s Rock, Pop, Dance, House, Bitch Tracks and 80’s Alternative.

When I came out in Tampa, the nightlife scene was so small that you had a huge mix of gay people on one dancefloor. It was nothing to have leather men, twinks and drag queens dancing with each other. In fact, I believe it made for a better community because we all had to share the same dancefloor and watering hole. But nowadays, everything is segregated. And the history of the music and the sense of community is lost. And why shouldn’t it be? With music at your fingertips on your computer or phone, everything is disposable. We are bombarded with too much information. And that would probably explain why the art of mixing and programing your sets as a DJ is no longer required. 

There was a time when the DJ made a song a hit. Now, the DJ is just the tool for playing the song. No personality is needed. No real talent is needed. I started Dj-ing in the summer of 1980 with my uncle, Herbert King at WMNF 88.5. It was a Jazz and R&B show. My uncle didn’t mix, but he taught me the importance of programing. “What are you saying with your music?” “Do you believe in the song that you are playing?” “What does this song mean to you?” “Why are you playing this song?”  These were questions that he would ask to get me to think about what it really means to connect with your music. It wasn't until I took a trip to Chicago and heard mixing on the radio there that I decided to learn how to manipulate beats per minute to transition from song to song. I saved up for a pair of turntables from Radio Shack and a mixer (which I still have to this day....they don't make 'em like that anymore) and practiced in my bedroom everyday after school. 

So, when I am asked to play a genre of music that does not respresent me or has nothing to do with my musical background it is like asking me to have a conversation about a subject that I don’t know. I will only look stupid if I attempt it. So, I choose not to have that conversation. If I know a liitle about that subject, I will say what I know (as in I will play what I have), but I won’t go any further than that. But when customers start demanding a genre, it makes me not want to play it at all. Let me surprise you with what I do know. You might actually learn something about mixing and programing if you listen. 

Some of the best conversations I have had with my floor have been when I watched the room and figured out what it is needed to keep it going. A request is a great way to let the DJ know what you are feeling, but when it turns into 5 and 6 requests it seems like you do not respect your DJ or trust his judgement. It becomes a one-sided conversation and that never works. 

And I bet that the audience doesn’t realize that their presence on the floor is a vote on where the music is going to go. I believe that everyone should get served on my floor. That’s why I change the conversation every 20 minutes. I want it to remain interesting, especially if the format for the room is an open one. Remember, the DJ is not only playing for you. He has a entire room to worry about. And patience is a virtue. Leaving the floor because your song wasn’t next just says that you were not really serious about your request. And unless the theme of the event is a strict format of one genre, I am sure the DJ will get to your request as soon as he can. Provided that your request isn’t what we like to call a “Floor Killer”. Tracks like “The Macarena” or Kiddy Pop artists can kill your floor in an adult setting. When you have the trust of your audience, you are more likely to get away with anything you feel like playing. But until then, you really have to consider what that request is going to do to your floor. 

I guess the thing that strikes me funny and odd is that in New York City's top clubs where you spend almost $25 to $50 just to get in, you are not allowed to even get to the DJ. It is a given that you came to hear the musical journey that he has planned for you. And the measure of a good DJ is how his floor is doing. If he has a packed floor, then obviously he knows what he is doing. So, to come to Toronto and find that bar owners and promoters bend to customer requests seems ridiculous at times. How is the DJ supposed to show you their skills if they are bombarded with requests all evening? A good DJ can read his floor and make the decision to go in another direction with the music if needed. Which goes back to my change of conversation every 20 minutes. The rooms I have played for here in Toronto have been very open in formats. It would be different if it was a theme to the room that I was playing for. then I could concentrate on a specific genre and style. 

So, a balance had to be made. I came up with a system of a request sheet. It allows the audience to communicate with the DJ without disturbing him while he is trying to mix or find his next track. Unfortunately, most of the people have been drinking and do not grasp the concept of writing it down and leaving it at that. They want to write it down and then ask you for the song verbally while trying to hand you the request sheet to make sure you see what they wrote. Or they think by writing their request really big that it will make you play their song quicker. It can be very frustrating when people are not polite enough to leave room and spaces for others to make their requests. The ME Generation just doesn't care. 

So, I hope by writing this blog I have given you a different perspective about what requests are and what they mean in the big scheme of the night. Don’t forget that the DJ has a job to do that is more than just pressing “play”.

Inside tbe world of drag

Most of you know me as DJ Relentless, but I am also known as Jade Elektra and I just spent Easter Weekend in Chicago competing in The Miss Continental Elite Pageant. As an out HIV-positive person, it was really a great weekend for me to represent Canada in my first national pageant.

Ever since I came out on the gay scene back in Tampa in the mid 80's, the drag world has always been a major fascination for me. I remember going to The El Goya and seeing my first drag show that featured Joey Brooks, Stephanie Shippae, Bobbie Lake and Gilda Golden. These were the performers who would mold my view of what it meant to be a female impersonator. Glamorous and larger than life. I knew after that show I wanted to be an entertainer.

Back then, there was a talent show on Mondays at a place called René's. This bar was known for producing some of the top title holders. Tiffani Middlesexx, Tiffany Arieagus, Mahogany, Chena Kelly, Lakeisha Lucky, Esme Russell, Dana Douglas, Dana Manchester, Patti Cakes and countless others were headliners there. They had the best talent show in town. Queens would come from Miami and Orlando to make an impression and win $100. Many of today's top legends got their start in that talent show. René's could make or break you. 

First Steps

A wonderful hostess named Tony Rose watched my first attempt at getting attention with a concept number of Stephanie Mills' cover of "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore". I am very glad that no photos have surfaced. I had no idea how to do make up or that I really needed a wig to cover up my jheri-curled hair (remember it was the 80's). But I guess Tony saw some potential in me and pulled me aside after one of the most humiliating nights of my life. She told me that I should show up early the next week and she would help me with my make up. She gave me my first Millie Jackson record, "Live & Uncensored" and told me to learn something off this. She surprised me the next week with not only doing my make up, but also donating my first drag outfit, a simple white Dynasty dress (at least that's what I called it) and a wig. She was my very first drag mother. They don't make 'em like that anymore. This was back when the older queens would teach the younger gyrls the way. God, I miss those days. 

I came up with some of the new crop of gyrls back in those days. Simplicity Hart, Tomeka Love, Donna White, Regina Rheal, Natasha Richards, Tiffany McCray, Syreeta Montiel, Crystal Clear, LaTonya Rogers, Monique LaBelle  and Ebony (my first drag name before becoming Jade Elektra in 1992) were names that dominated that Monday night talent contest. 

With all the tutorials on YouTube and shows like Drag Race, the young gyrls today think they don't need a guiding hand. And all the bad habits and horrible attitudes that RuPaul's little creation has spawned has straight audiences and younger gays believing that this is the future for drag, that your fifteen minutes are your ticket to stardom. But like Madonna said in her interview on Anderson when asked about reality TV celebrities "It may get you in the door, it doesn't guarantee you will stay at the party". And no truer words were ever spoken.  

The Pageant

So, being a contestant in The Continental Elite Pageant was an honour. When I walked into registration at the Park West Theatre and saw Dana Douglas I became a little drag kid again. I remember when she won Miss Continental in 1987. I remember her performance of "Black Velvet" at The Miss Florida pageant that year with this amazing long train to her dress. I began talking with her, thinking she must be a judge, or there to help organize the pageant. But when Jim Flint and Ginger Grant called everyone over to sign up she came over as well. I knew right then that I was looking at this year's winner. This was drag royalty. It would not matter if I had jumped through hoops of fire or what any of the other gyrls were doing - this was the winner for 2012.

After watching and listening closely to the whispered conversations, I learned that some of these gyrls had been in this pageant system for years. Unfortunately I believe they are stuck in it.

Now...anyone who knows me knows that I don't mince words. So, if you are easily offended or you can only see your point of view, I suggest you stop reading right now. Because I am about to tell you what I really think about the Continental pageant system along with most pageants. This is no different than the ballroom scene. These people spend thousands and thousands of dollars to enter these competitions and for what? At the end of the day what does it all mean? Absolutely nothing outside of that circle. They lure you in with the glamour and glitz of what you see on stage, but all the stuff that goes on in the background would probably make a sane person say I will have nothing to do with this.

I also think of the pageant system as a pyramid scheme. Someone on the top of the pyramid is making money off all the people who are involved. Kind of like how RuPaul is making all the money from Drag Race and the contestants are left fighting to be on that show to get a chance to be in the spotlight. And just like the mafia, they take care of their own. Once you are in the family, you are always in the family. But if you don't get accepted into the family, you are encouraged to come back and try again. They might dangle a small prize to keep you interested, but make no mistake....they want your time and money.

Augmentation

Back when I was coming up on the scene, bar owners and promoters would help the gyrls get their breasts done and any reconstructive surgery you would need to be the next beauty. For a while there were a few who wanted to make me into the next Stephanie Shippae. They would have paid for everything if I gave them my youth and innocence. But the one thing I always enjoyed at the end of the show was taking all that stuff off and being Alphonso King Jr. My motto was and still is "If I can't take it off at the end of night, then I don't need it."

I remember my first year in New York City I met a queen named Consuela. She was taller than me (I'm 6' 4") and had these insanely huge implants. At that time I was a DJ at a tranny hooker bar called Sally's on 43rd Street. Consuela got really drunk one night and came over and talked to me as I was packing up for the evening and what she said has always stayed in my head. "If I knew what I know now, I would have never done any of this to myself. You are so lucky. Stay just the way you are. It's not cute waking up at 40 to find that not even 7-11 will hire you."

So, what do you do when you have altered yourself so much that you are unrecognizable and you have implants and facial hair? You are stuck in that life for the rest of your life. Unless you have had some of the best doctors over the years (which most of these gyrls have not) you are probably not healthy from the silicone injected into your body. And the one thing that was really clear is that the Continental System is for transsexuals. Boys who do drag are cute, but they are looking for all the augmentation. Outside of my friend, Scott Cooper, who is still a boy and has not had any work done, I believe that only transsexuals have been winners of Miss Continental. But where is the line between female impersonation and transsexualism? 

Now, don't get me wrong....I love these drag conventions. You get to see all the people you haven't seen in years. And the energy is great. Of course a few folks were trying to get me to join the other pyramid scheme, Miss Gay USA (which I'm told is strictly for female impersonators). And although I have been around these queens for years and around the pageant scene in the background as the DJ who mixed their talents or did the voice-overs for them, I have never really lusted after these titles. I have a few titles and a few crowns from randomly entering a pageant here and there, but I have never felt that these titles have defined me as Jade Elektra. In fact, the highlight of this past weekend in Chicago was getting to perform as Billie Holiday on the Park West Theatre stage. That was absolutely wonderful. I felt completely at home on that stage. And it confirms that I am heading in the right direction with my career as a recording artist and vocalist. Hopefully one day someone will come across the DVD of that performance and say "Wow...where is that queen now? That was a talent!" Because let's face it.....someone doing a live vocal performance in character is not in the same category as a glamazon standing there lip-syncing with back up dancers. Apples and Oranges. I knew that going in, but I wanted to let people know that I was there. And no disrespect to any of the gyrls, but my vision for myself is a lot bigger than this circle. 

To have people come up to me after my talent and ask me if I was really singing or where did that voice come from was my crown and title. No one had ever done a Billie Holiday impersonation at Continental. It was an real honour to have a former Mr. Continental, Antonio Edwards whom I have known for years, come up to me and say"I knew you could sing, but I never knew you could sing like that".  It really made my evening. And hopefully I have opened the door for future impersonators to take a chance on live talents.

I would like to see more classic drag come back. There's only so many music videos that can be recreated on the drag stage. There's so much more out there than the Top 40 that is being rammed down our throats. I sit back and watch all these young ones killing themselves to be exactly like the gyrl sitting next to them in the dressing room. They want to out-do the next one. Well, you can't do that by doing the same numbers you saw on YouTube over and over. You have to be creative and strive for something different. And stop dumbing down the performances. You are in a unique position to educate your audience as well as entertain.

You've got to listen to the ones who were here before you. Their wisdom is very valuable. I try to tell the gyrls I work with simple things that would help them on stage and in life, but most are not listening. I just hope that they don't fall into the trap and lose themselves in this world of drag. If you meet an older queen, sit and talk with her instead of dismissing her.

But back to story of The Baton...

The finals . . 

So, it is the night of the finals at The Baton. There are twelve contestants and we come out in orange presentation. It all seemed surreal to be standing on the most famous drag stage in America. In my heart of hearts, I was hoping that my talent had gotten me into the Top 8 at least. They start giving out awards for best interview, best swimwear, best evening gown and best talent. My name is not called for any of those. They start calling the Top 8 and as they skip over me an epiphany comes to me. "Thank God I am not in this". If I had won any of those things I would be obligated to come back again. But you have to pay your dues with this pageant system, to build your brand with Mr. Flint before you get his seal of approval. And at registration he gave a speech about he might end the Elite pageant if there are not 20 or more contestants next year. Of course Dana Douglas is the perfect candidate to go out and sell the Miss Continental Elite pageant to promoters and bars across the country. This is how the business works.

So, I was very grateful that I did not place and did not make the Top 8. I am free! All I have to do is step down as Miss Toronto Continental Elite in November and I am done.

The drag world still fascinates me. What motivates a man to put on a dress and act like a woman? There are a million stories and reasons why, but for me it is an extension of who I am as a man who has embraced his feminine side and still treasures his masculine side.

I chuckled because it was this kinda cheesy track tailored after Duck Sauce’s “Barbra Streisand”. I bet they had no idea that a couple months later she would no longer be with us. Ironically, just as when the announcement came that Michael Jackson had died, I was in the studio working on music. It sorta knocked the wind out of me. I mean....I know it’s all over the news and the internet, but it just didn’t seem real.

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show ripped CNN a new one for sending a reporter on the streets to get reactions to the news of Whitney’s death. Over in the UK, iTunes raised the prices of of her music a few hours after her death. But the most surprising thing I saw was Wendy Williams’ segment on her show where she broke down and said after that moment she was not gonna say another word about Whitney’s passing. Okay....I have always dismissed Wendy as a gossiping mouth piece of daytime television, but my respect for her went up ten fold after watching her on YouTube.

And of course the jokes about Whitney started within the hour of the announcement. Even though I knew they would be coming and be very vile, I still wasn’t prepared for some of the ones that popped up on facebook.

But as the week went on, it seemed to get worse. And then came the day of the funeral. Aretha Franklin doesn’t show up and gave an excuse of leg spasms when the real reason was that she had fought with Cissy Houston about an interview she gave to Al Roker in NYC where she blamed the parents of drug users. The sad thing was instead she did her concert that night at Radio City Hall where she watered down her tribute to Whitney by adding tributes to Nick Ashford and Don Cornelius. You know...the more I learn about Ms. Franklin the less I like her as a person. Whitney’s aunt, Dionne Warwick threw some shade at “The Queen Of Soul” by introducing her at the funeral only to point out that she wasn’t there. And then there was the mess with Bobby Brown showing up with nine people to the funeral when there was very limited seating. He eventually had to leave after being asked to moved his group several times as the ushers tried to accomodate his tribe.

I think the most beautiful tribute was by Kevin Costner. His recollection of his time on the set of “The Bodyguard” with Whitney left me feeling that there was so much about her that we didn’t know. In his story her vunerability and doubt made her more human than I had ever noticed before.

All I can say is....we just finished Black History Month and in that month we’ve lost Etta James, Don Cornelius and now Whitney. I almost feel like our heritage and history is slipping right through our hands. An end of an era is upon us.

And while one diva leaves us, another is making the biggest mistake of her life. Of course, I am speaking of Rihanna. What on earth is she thinking? Any kind of relationship with Chris Brown should have never even entered her mind. The message she is sending to young girls is so wrong! Rihanna has recorded a remix of her track “Birthday Cake” featuring Chris. The explicit lyrics are leading us to believe that they are bumpin' uglies. Measnwhile she makes a guest appearance on the remix of his new single, “Turn Up The Music”.

I predicted when he was originally arrested that it wouldn’t be long before he was back on the charts and all would be forgotten. But somehow I could have never predicted the fallout of this reunion. Some are saying that they are a couple again. I have heard jokes about Rihanna not being able to stay away from his huge talent. While there are all kinds of stories about him having gay sex with a songwriter named Martyn. And now there’s reports that Chris stole a female fan’s phone after she took a photo of him getting into his car. I predict that Chris Brown is going to implode. His bad temper and attitude is going to do him in. Plus I would say that he is in the same place where O.J. Simpson was. Everyone is watching and the law is waiting to put him behind bars. He is stupid for even going anywhere near Rihanna. And she must be too to think that young girls tweeting “Chris Brown could beat me any day” is a good thing.

Another big mistake over the past couple of weeks was Nicki Minaj’s Grammy performance. At first when she arrived at the event, I thought she was Lady GaGa. She was dressed in a red cloaked dress and on the arm of a Pope look-a-like. And then came the horendous exorcism of a performance. Her speedy delivery of lyrics and manic vocal attempts left everyone scratching their heads and wondering what just happened. But surprisingly requests for her new single, “Starships” started pouring in on my dancefloor. Honestly....I don’t get it! I think the song sucks. It sucks even more than her really annoying “Stupid Hoe”.

But the tracks that are really working me right now are the Jumpsmokers Remix of Jessie J’s “Domino” and the dBerrie Remix of Beyonce’s “End Of Time”. Great energy and deep grooves! Love it!

However, the verdict is still out on X-Factor’s Melanie Amaro’s cover of Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect”. I’m not sure why Simon would have her do a cover of that song. There’s some songs that you just don’t touch. I didn’t care for Reba McEntire’s version back in the late 80’s. And even though Aretha’s version is a cover of Otis Redding’s original, she made the song her own. No one has done that since.

And I was really upset to find out that Nicole Scherzinger is being replaced on X-Factor. I mean...c’mon Simon! It was nice to see someone actually stand up to you and tell you their thoughts. He never respected her from the beginning. He wanted Cheryl Cole to make an impact on American TV, but they didn’t see huh. So, now there’s talk that Janet Jackson and Britney Spears are being courted to fill Nicole and Paula’s seats.

 Meanwhile check out this free download from DJ Relentless

It's hard to believe how quickly the years are going by. Just three years ago, I was debating whether or not to make my annual Martin Luther King Day CD. New York City seemed to be changing drastically and the kids who were coming out to Escuelita were not interested in my traditional musical celebration of Rev. King.

Last year at this time, I posted a blog about my appreciation for the achievements of President Obama. That blog garnered me some unwelcome comments -  a well known drag queen high-jacked my blog to promote her agenda of bad-mouthing Obama. She went on and on about all the things he did wrong or didn't do. It was almost as though she was telling me that I had no right to be proud of our first African-American President.

And now that I am spending most of my time in Canada where they do not celebrate "Martin Luther King Day", I really had to take a moment to think about what the holiday means to me.

A long time ago, I looked up the word "nigger" in the Webster Dictionary. It defined the word as "a stupid person" and "a racial slur for Africans". As I look around in this New Year, it disturbs me that this word is part of the daily lexicon in our youth's culture. Thanks to Hip Hop artists keeping it real, everyone feels like it is okay to just drop the N-word whenever they feel like it.

Last year, a popular gay burlesque troop in Toronto had a major show where one of its black performers was being honored and a white dancer paid tribute by performing in black-face. A female impersonator from Toronto actually had professional photos of himself in black-face posted on his facebook page. And in the news, there were some firemen who dressed in black-face for Halloween.

And let us not forget the popularity of another black-faced performer....Shirley Q. Liquor. I must admit when I first heard her material I laughed. She is a brilliant comedian and if I had never seen her, I'd probably still be a fan.

A long-time friend released an old skool bitch track where he says "nigger please" twice in the recording and on his YouTube video. After closer inspection of some of his videos on YouTube, I noticed that the N-word was dropped very casually in several. I mentioned it to him, but he said that it wasn't racial it -  was just how the kids talk.

Almost every trip I take to New York City, I cringe at how many latinos are dropping the N-word like it's going out of style. But if someone said "wetback" or "spick" they'd be ready to fight in a minute.

Well in my opinion, all of these folks using the N-word (or any racial slur) are the first definition of the word!

I dated an individual who was from St. Louis and he was what some might call a "wigger". He had all the slang and had no qualms about dropping the N-word. At the time, he really wanted to go out with me, but I told him that I couldn't.  Mainly because of his unfortunate use of the N-word. He saw nothing wrong with it. He tried to tell me that the young people of today have taken that word back and it has lost its power.

NO IT HASN'T! The older people who run congress and the finances in the United States have not forgotten what it means. The Republicans who are running for the oval office have not forgotten what it means. The people who hire and fire employees have not forgotten what it means. It's just your stupid asses who are running around disrespecting the African-Americans who gave their lives for you to be able to walk and talk freely. And this is what you do with your freedom? Sitting on subways talking loud and cursing while calling each other "nigger".  That is the true meaning of "a stupid person".

Because I was raised by my grandmother, I grew up with a different sensibility about race. I know what it is to have a bottle thrown at you from a passing car as someone yelled "nigger". I watched my grandmother get spit on in a grocery store by a white woman who called her "nigger" because she wanted to skip her in the check-out line. I grew up watching my grandmother despise "All In The Family" because the Archie Bunker character was just a little too real for her. So, don't tell me that the word has lost its power.

Just like slavery was abolished, so should the word "nigger" be.

Back in the 70's, my mother had an album by The Last Poets. On it was a track called "Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution".  I used to listen to it even though I didn't fully understand the meaning behind it. It wasn't until much later in the 80's that I really got what they were saying. The stupid people were afraid of change. And in a way when I hear a young black kid say "nigger" I believe that his family and education has taught him to hold on to that word. There is a safety in that word. You know where you stand with that word. I have never accepted that word and never will!

I don't believe that Martin Luther King or Malcolm X died for black people to accept being called that word. No matter who is saying it. You as black people are giving everyone the right to call you that word when you callously just drop "nigger" in a sentence.

I remember watching Jay Z on Oprah and she had an issue with the word in his music. He explained that rappers are telling stories that the police don't want you to hear. BS! You stupid people are letting the music industry exploit you. They give you a lot of money to get on a mic and be as black as you can be. Meanwhile, back at the ranch....some midwestern teenager thinks it’s cool to sound and act black. But deep down inside, they would never want to be black. They know the repercussions and deep down inside, so do you. You have been conditioned to let that word live. Let it be an anthem for black youth. Well, I say it sucks!

As a drag performer, I occasionally lip synch to Millie Jackson. Most of her material uses the N-word. So, I always give a disclaimer about the N-word (especially if it is a predominantly white audience). I tell them that it is not cool to use that word. I advise against it. Why do I do that? I do it because I feel a responsibility to those who came before me. All of the people who fought for equal rights. All the people who died in the struggle. And I know the word isn't going to go away. But I would hope that as this Martin Luther King Day arrives everyone will take a moment to really think about what the word "nigger" is still doing to our lives and culture.