DJ Biz Markie: [New Jersey]
Suddenly, a woman was nestling herself into my side. It was crowded but not That
crowded. And she said, “You’re the only white person in here – you can’t be
standing around looking bored!” She elbowed me with a chuckle and walked off
before I had a chance to explain that’s how I look at all music events! And she
was wrong. I was actually super excited to be at this event, although maybe
super tired too. EyeEEEsha had gifted me an –in- to the number one biggest
greatest political gala for politically motivated black people in Washington
DC. So, in basic, her mentoring in all things related to gender and race
empowerment continues, 20 years later. There were people with ‘senator pins’ on their lapels,
people. It was going to be ‘yuge,’ ‘EVERYBODY was saying…,’ ‘really great,’
‘winners’ (Trump.Trump.Trump.) But, seriously, I was biting at the chomp for an
inner glimpse of the machinery that runs our country … and to be the
only-white-girl-at-a-black-event. So, business at hand, there was music: Biz
Markie – if you googled him, you’d realize you know “Just a Friend.” It was
playing when we finally made it through the line but we were so distracted
showing our tickets and all, I wasn’t able to properly recognize it. Not sure
what I would have done otherwise… but, it happened. I don’t really get whether
he wrote his own songs or only DJed but tonight he was definitely focused on
pleasing the crowd and it was all 90s dance-rap, some 70s soul, a few
contemporary songs. It mostly made me think of LittlestSister and all the mixes
she’d send me when she lived in Fresno in the late 1990s, early 2000s. The
crowd was fantastic – everybody was dancing and everybody knew ALL the words.
And don’t even get me started on the clothes – these people were decked out in
all sorts of finery – dresses long and glamorous, lace dresses with
Mexican-style-flower-in-the-hair, short dresses with lots of booby. Politican
suits, hipster suits with flowers or stripes. The shoes. The shoes! EyeEEEsha
said she could smell the Luster in the air upon arrival. So EyeEEEsha and I
were essentially blissed out with people-watching (plus her phone had to be charged,
like forever). And we happened to be sitting next to an older couple who
clearly had in-charge day jobs, had been married for 30 years, and were letting
loose a little tonight (by ‘clearly’ I mean, what I am positive is true based
on my observations over the course of 3 hours) – they danced for hours,
smooched regularly, and generally made me & EyeEEEsha long for the days
when the White House was occupied by love. Overall, the event wasn’t all that
political – not even the music - people were there to see and be seen… so maybe
it was political ha. But, overall, seeing all of these persevering powerful
joyful black people congregating left me basking in afterglow beliefs that our
country actually has a chance for a happy future.
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