Darryl James--"The Bridge"

THE END OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN? For most of our existence in America, the nation has needed us—for free labor, for cheap labor, for scapegoating and for the raping of our culture. But America has co-opted Black Culture to the point where it is currently packaging what it deems to be Black Culture and selling it back to us. It has other cultures to use for cheap labor and, of course, we are still scapegoats. There is no reason for us to exist. We have been so diminished that we don't want to live around us and many of us think the worst of us. With no real need for us to exist, it is quite possible that the African American will diminish into irrelevance. Listen to The Bridge Radio tomorrow at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the future of African Americans. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

Black Men: America's Bad Guys Someone joked that there should be a hotline for white folks to call whenever they need someone to blame. That hotline would connect them to a Black Man to blame. The joke isn’t really a joke because in American, the Black Man is blamed for everything. Remember Susan Smith? Think about it: A city is designated as the “murder capitol” because of the number of Black men who murder each other—even though the number of whites who murder each other is higher. We are blamed for violence, rape of white women, children out of wedlock and even for our own destruction. The problem with Black male bashing used to be that it came ONLY from the hearts and minds of vicious racist mongrels who were too ignorant to realize that one group of people could not be responsible for the destruction of an entire society. Well, perhaps one group can, but we’ll leave that for another column. Currently, some of the meanest, hateful propaganda about Black men comes from other Black people. And, now the old Black male bashing is becoming the new Black male bashing because “The Color Purple” just won’t seem to die and thanks to the sellout of all Black manhood personified in Tyler Perry, more Black male bashing drivel is being recycled. Where does it end? Listen to The Bridge Radio tomorrow at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the demonization of Black Men. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

STEALING BLACK MUSIC With the recent court case of Marvin Gaye's estate vs. Robin Thicke, the topic of "others" stealing Black music has risen again. The history of popular music in America is indeed the history of the taking of Black music, from the early days of Rock to the current days of Hip Hop. Robin Thicke is a glaring example of what can go wrong and Iggy Azalea is an example of everything that is wrong. Is there a difference between being "inspired" by music that someone else created and outright stealing it? What about sampling in Hip Hop? We will discuss all of these issues and more, along with our SPECIAL GUEST:  BIG GIP, FROM THE GOODIE MOB! Tune in to The Bridge Radio this Sunday at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the stealing of Black Music with our Special Guest Big Gipp from the GOOdie Mob.   Also, we'll have new music courtesy of  DJ Gates.  Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss Sex & Sould For Sale. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio.  Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

Sex sells. So much so, that many people are jumping into careers by using their sexuality instead of their talent.  How many times have you heard about some singer, actor or model who used sex or got used in order to get a career started? Entertainment make people do crazy things, particularly with sex. In many ways, they end up selling thier souls. Is selling sex and souls the only way to get put on? Tune in to The Bridge Radio this Sunday at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the American Way for Entertainment--Sex & Souls For Sale. And, we’ll interview a model/actress who is actually using her talent, wit and beauty to establish her career.  Cavel Davis has been modeling for more than ten years, landing a number of music videos, book covers, magazine features, television shows and films, including Ride Along 2, with Kevin Hart. Cavel has associated herself with the monster deejay team—Fleet DJs as a Fleet model, getting work with recording artists and continuing to embed her brand in the marketplace. She does model promo for Ciroc Vodka and has been featured as a Jet Beauty of The Week. Cavel is not a video vixen, so there is no laundry list of sexual escapades or an internet sex tape. Also, amongst his new music, DJ Gates will feature Fleet Cypher Battle Freestyle winner VA Paperchaser.  Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss Sex & Sould For Sale. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

America is a nation of conflicts and confusion. For example, many people proclaim America to be a Christian nation.And with that proclamation, one would imagine that the so-called "Christians" would seek every opportunity to help others who are in need. Instead, the American Way is to judge those at the very bottom, and to do so in order to justify turning a blind eye to their need. And there are more conflicts and confusion in our everyday lives as Americans. We are walking, talking conundrums and other nations laugh at us. Today on The Bridge Radio, we will discuss some of the most glaring conflicts of American people and the resulting confusion. Call in and discuss yours. In addition, Tracy Powell will break down the reason why Net Neutrality is so important and provide understanding of the recent FCC action. Plus, DJ Gates will play some new music from artists you love.  Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss Conflicts & Confusion In America. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

THE HEROES OF BLACK HISTORY If you really want to know what scares America, don't fool yourself into thinking it's the Black man with a gun--this nation put them there. The scariest Black Man or Black Woman is the one with knowledge and a plan. Today on The Bridge Radio, we will celebrate our favorite Black heroes. Call in and discuss yours. In addition, we will discuss 5 Industries that Blacks should control, since we used to control some of our own commerce and destiny. Those 5 Industries include: Hair Care, Sports, Sportswear, Music, Black Media and Food products. We will discuss these industries from the perspective of Black pioneers who made history and the possibility of Black heroes taking back our own commerce. Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the Heroes of Black History. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

It's Black History Month and wherever you are, you should be either studying Black History, or planning to create Black History. Instead of discussing some great achievements by Black men or Black women, I'd like to discuss the great achievements that lie ahead of Africans in America. Those great achievements can only occur after we define ourselves with some practicality and foresight. When it comes to Black History, most Africans in America start studying sometime around the beginning of the slave trade and bring it through to about the middle of the twentieth century. That's a very short history for a people with such a rich background. We have to decide where to begin Black History. We also have to stop talking about getting rid of Black History Month. Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the start of Black History and the argument over whether Black History Month should be abolished. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

Ferguson set it off for the new century, with riots that launched a worldwide revolution. But some people claim that rioting is a bad thing, that people are "burning their own." Yet, if we look at history, we see tat riots have come from every people and typically serve a real purpose. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "riots are the voice of the unheard." The civil unrest that plagues this nation and the world, from the Watts Riots to Ferguson, serves a real purpose.  Join Darryl James on The Bridge Radio for a history of Rioting In America, from the 1865 Draft Riots to Ferguson and many riots in between. Listen to The Bridge Radio Today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss rioting in America. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

The so-called “sexual revolution” was a hoax. A revolution is based on radical change and while the goal of the sexual revolution was supposed to be freer thinking about sex and sexuality, Americans are actually less free when it comes to sex. More sex has harmed our society. Americans are having more sex, but less education. They are having more sex, but less protection. And, there is more sex but less love and marriage. In America, we are nearly schizophrenic with our approach to sex. There has been no real revolution regarding sex, because in many ways, we have de-evolved. Listen to The Bridge Radio Sunday at 4pm Pacific as we discuss sex, sexuality and our strange relationship with sex. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

At some point, we have to stop claiming that people are "hating" simply because we disagree with them. There is some real hatred out there and we need to fucs. Some of these ignorant cops in America are hateful and that is real. There are racists at large who hate others. And, some of us even hate ourselves. Then, there is the hatred across the gender divide that rears its ugly head whenever discussions are held about relationship issues. We have to choose between loving each other or embracing the growing acrimony that is festering on both sides of the gender divide. Black males and females are at war with each other in many corners of this nation. Hateful things are being said back and forth, and things are getting critical. I’ve been trying to move people by tapping into the hot topics that cut deep into human nature. The upside is that some of us are awake and realize that even if we disagree, we can still be committed to our people, or at least have a discussion about the divergences. The downside is that many of us have no idea how to have a conversation. I get literal demands from people to have discussions with them after they have cursed me or disrespected me in their disagreement with me. We have to decide if we are going to hate or love and then proceed with discussions, dating, loving and living. Listen to The Bridge Radio today at 4pm Pacific as we discuss love, hate and the thin line between the two. Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James and co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

2014 was a year to remember. It was the year that Black people woke up and began to push back against a system that marginalizes them and a system that supported the wanton murder of Black people by the police. While police have been abusing and murdering Black people for a long time, in 2014, Blacks began to protest after the justice system sat down and supported murder by cop. Black people stood up and launched the longest protest since the 1960s. When Blacks stood up, other people joined the protest—around the nation and around the world. And now, a change must come. In 2014, hackers became revolutionaries, exposing racists in high places—particularly the film industry, which has been racist for a long time in practice, but has now been exposed for being racist in speech as well. This from an industry that thought it was okay to make a “funny” film about murdering the leader of a sovereign nation. A change must come. 2014 was a year of losses and a year of gains. It was a year of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and a year of people getting tired of getting their asses kicked. But I know, a change gone come. On Sunday, December 28, 2014, Join Award-Winning Author Darryl James on “The Bridge Radio” for a discussion of the best and worst of 2014. What were the markers of the year for you? Darryl will be joined by co-hosts Tracy Powell, Dr. John Hamilton, Marcus D. LeGall III and DJ Gates on one of the most intellectually stimulating shows on radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

For most of the Free World, Christmas is a holiday season celebrated more for its shopping, overeating and gift giving than the actual religious significance it once contained. The season is represented by silver and gold adorned trees, as well as colorful twinkling lights spilling over homes, churches and businesses. Family and friends exchange gifts, kiss under mistletoe, burn Yule logs and yet, sadly, most people have no idea where the Christmas holiday traditions come from, but they swear that it is all about Jesus. The Christmas holiday as we know it is really an aggregation of a bunch of mythology and customs that were actually around before the birth of Jesus. And, the actual birth of Jesus has been placed somewhere around September. Tune in to The Bridge Radio on Sunday as we discuss the Christmas traditions and how they became merged with Christian traditions. Discuss The Roots of Christmas & Jesus with Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates on one of the smartest radio shows on the Internet--The Bridge Radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

"Say it Loud/I'm Black & I'm Proud" was the mantra from Soul Brother Number On, James Brown. It was natural and Blacks felt him without even thinking about it. It was an expression of his soul Soul was never truly pursued by Black folks, because most of us were just born with it. Soul was as innate as our ability to absorb the rays of the sun without destruction to our skin. But in a nation where everything has been commoditized, even the Soul of Black folks as well as their literal souls are for sale on the open market, which means that our Soul is no longer natural and endemic to us. Soul is now for sale and we are not even the purveyors of the Soul that once came from us. In previous times, Soul came from the Black community organically and only then was it marketed and sold to the world. Brother James Brown was ours and THEN the world claimed him. With music and all other things cool, we created it and then the world took hold of it because we said it was cool. Now, a watered-down, backwards version of Soul is manufactured and purveyed to us as though it is our very own. But it is not. The Soul that we see today on the open market has been stolen and twisted. The stealing of our Soul should come as no surprise to anyone aware, because we were already selling it in a nation that has never treasured having a soul. Discuss Souls For Sale with Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates on one of the smartest radio shows on the Internet--The Bridge Radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

One thing I have learned well in my life is that there is no need for courage if there is nothing to fear. I take it as part of my duty as an educated and enlightened Black man-to stand in front of young Black boys and young Black men to show them their own possibilities, because I come from the same places from whence many of them hail. Sometimes, I am joined by other Black men, within whom the fear and awkwardness is so apparent I nearly feel sorry for them. They feel awkward because of the lies some of us believe that we have "arrived." There is fear because we have merely bought into the empty promise of America--the illusion of the melting pot and the reward for pretending that there are no racial barriers and that hard work and education are always rewarded for everyone. The belief in this illusion is the intrinsic barrier between open and honest communication with the youth, because they are still wise enough to know that there is a problem. Some of them embrace that problem as a reason to work twice as hard, while some of them embrace that problem as a reason to give up. But sadly, many grown men are in derelict of duty, because frankly, we are afraid of what we escaped from, and/or whom we left behind. And so we tell them lies. Lies to cover our fear and lies to cover our mistakes. And Blacks are afraid of so much more. Discuss Fear & Lies with Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates on one of the smartest radio shows on the Internet--The Bridge Radio. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

in•san•i•ty (n) 1 : a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia) 2 : such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility 3 : extreme folly or unreasonableness; something utterly foolish or unreasonable It’s been said that Americans are a bit crazy. Typically such statements are either said in partial jest, but mostly in seriousness when said by other nations.  And it’s true. Many Americans live lives in complete contradiction to reality, and sadly, in complete contradiction to reason. And, over the past fifty years, many Americans are living their lives in complete contradiction to anything that has order, sense or sound mentality. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, we continue to do things in repetition, yet, we expect different results. Join Darryl James in a discussion on the reasons why Americans are insane. Discuss American Insanity with Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates, Sunday at 4pm Pacific.

THE GIVING OF THANKS This is Thankgsgiving Week, which means turkeys are on the chopping block by the millions. It also means that many Americans will be pretending that the early settlers to America were heroes, and not filthy cutthtoat gangsters who robbed, pillaged and killed to create a nation of their choosing. For the Pilgrims, the Plymouth Rock landing represented hopes and dreams of freedom and life filled with prosperity. For the Africans, the Plymouth Rock landing represented the crushing of hopes and dreams, with nightmares of bondage and death and a legacy of struggle. In the celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday, Africans across the world should be paid a debt of thanks at the very least by every race of people in existence. Specifically, Europeans and their descendants owe us for being the currency and unpaid workforce for the creation of the new nation.

Most Americans are not thinking people. Many of the people who still think barely do so, often allowing others to dictate their thoughts or to simply think for them. And because they do not think for themselves, they are easily led down a road to diminishing sophistication and the deterioration of socialization and civility. It’s not a very long road either. People who have little thought processing typically move from thought to action without any filters or hesitation. This is why knee-jerk reaction is the order of the day. And because we are no longer demanding that our citizens be thinking people, they react like children, wanting instant gratification and throwing tantrums when it doesn’t come. It is the reason why adults are overly sexual with no attention to consequences and the reason why simple-minded reality shows fare well with the overabundance of simple-minded people. We’re headed to a third world existence. While people can’t conceive of it happening here, it can and it will. People can’t see it because they are so focused on pretending to better than the next person. Discuss American Food Issues with Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates.

African Americans are dying of specific diseases, yet most of us are like the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand. We need to make some changes in order to stop dying! This show will deal with the three major areas where Blacks need to make changes in order to live longer lives with increased quality of life.

People of all races love many things about being Black, and they take those things, trying to make them their own, while too many of us look at ourselves with disdain. I believe that Black people need to change our minds about us and begin to embrace the things that are uniquely Black. We have to love those things, while loving ourselves. Black people in America are a special and wonderful blend of horrible oppression, faith, hope, creativity, spirituality and unresolved issues. No matter how bad things are, we still have what it takes to make it better. Haven’t we always? Yes, and I love that about us. For all the problems, the ups and downs of being part of the most challenged race on the planet, there is nothing more beautiful than walking, talking and dancing in the sun as Black people. We are the party and everyone wants to attend. It’s time for us to celebrate. At 4pm Pacific Time on Sunday, Join Host Darryl James and Co-Hosts, Tracy Powell, Marcus Legall III, Dr. John Hamilton & DJ Gates on one of the smartest radio shows on the Internet. Tune in each Sunday at 4PM Pacific Time for "The Bridge," a smarter radio show. Call in and add your view! (347) 857-2846 to listen LIVE and/or comment!

THE BEST OF "THE BRIDGE" RADIO--It is no secret that African Americans have an image problem. It is also no secret that the media misrepresents African Americans. What is ostensibly a secret is that many of the worst (and false) things being said about Black people are actually being perpetuated by Black people. Are there more Black men in prison than college? Are most Black men in prison? Are Black women being infected with HIV by secret gay Black men? Let’s talk… Co-Host Producer/Director Trey Whitaker. Joining Darryl as Special Guest, Film maker Janks Morton, who in his film, “What Black Men Think,” presents a searing examination of the role that myths, stereotypes and misperceptions have played in the decimation of modern era Black relationships, and how the symbiotic relationship between Government, the Media and Special Interests perpetuates misinformation to further marginalize the role of Black Men in society.