When I initially wrote this talk my intention was to come for their necks. Because in my deepest of heart, I am an angry Black man. The producer, white man, that put me on was one of the guys that produced the Complex TV CJS. He was like "I know your work, I fukk with you, and I want you to kill on a wider platform. And I know this crowd. It will be a waste of time if you completely alienate them. It will be a 100% white crowd. Don't c00n, but don't Malcolm X it. If you can stretch your talk to somehow connect with them while keeping it real, then you win, I win, and we can continue to push this talk to the wider TED platform." Because he kept it so real with me I trusted my instincts, and in turn I trusted him. When I walked in the joint, I was completely shocked about how right he was, I was the only Black man in the building other than some other cat working the sound. And it was the kind of white that neither me nor they have any fukking thing in common. But I knew that I would get them to understand completely where I was coming from. So yes, me including white as being alienated in the talk, as well as where I state that I don't credit all them oppressive factors to race were strategically edited and I agreed to it. Do I take full responsibility for it? Completely. But I stand 100% behind my talk. TEDx is an independently organized "franchise" of TED. Based on the success of the "franchise" talks, they get moved up to the official TED platform. This talk has been sent with the quickness to TED official. It is garnering so much heat. Thanks to people like you. So thank you. I'm looking forward to taking this to the next level, which most likely will happen. I've been around for a very long time, I'm in my late 40s. At this point in my life, I feel I have to push as far as I can go to get my views, opinions, experiences heard. And I will no longer accept limits to my access nor limits to my success. So many doors have been shut in my face because of what I've said, or my associations with Byron Crawford, Dallas Penn, and a whole slew of others. But I'm still here, still expanding. I've experienced the ceilings of when I kept it just 100% exclusively real. I now want to keep it 100% real and 100% smart.
I've been lurking this board for a while and I whole heartedly appreciate the support, and I mean that 100%. Ya'll really don't have to be here wasting this space on my work. I even appreciate the criticism. Once again, thank you for fukking with a nikka.
I didn't get to connect with the brother but damn, RIP Smooth3d.
#Salutes and #Newmanati. #fukkybergs.
Reggie Ossé a/k/a Combat Jack
to you brotha. don't be a stranger around here.