Parable of Purple
Parable of Purple
In Oakland, we grew up playing the dozens, rapping about another brother's mother, trying to "cap" or best the brother in desecrating our sacred Mother Goddess. The winner said the most hurtful things, and yes, the contest often ended with a fight because the loser felt ashamed and humiliated. The hip hop generation has upped the game.On a recent Monday night, half a block from Academy of Da Corner at 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland, two young men had a rap contest on the street while a large crowd listened attentively. When Craig, aka Purple, won the contest, the loser, Mike, felt humiliated and ashamed, especially because Purple had rapped about catching Mike in a homosexual encounter. Amiri Baraka's 60s play The Toilet dealt with a similar encounter.
According to reports, Mike fired off two rounds into the ground and urged Purple to shut up, but Purple persisted, claiming he had the power of the Logos. He continued slamming Mike with crowd approval. Mike aimed his gun at Purple's chest and fired twice. "Told you to shut up, nigguh. Told you to shut up!"
Purple stumbled into De Lauer's bookstore next door and fell dead. There must be some significance to his dying in a bookstore, a place of light in a world of darkness. Such is life: sometimes we win only to lose.
--Marvin X
9/11/10
