Pro'Verb ft. KT - FTW

This is the first track to be leaked off of DMV's own Pro'Verb's upcoming mini-mixtape, "While You're Waiting", which is the pre-cursor to his next complete project, "Go Pro Or Go Home, Vol. 2: Revenge Of The Furii", the sequel to his last mixtape, "Go Pro Or Go Home, Vol. 1: The Nominee". "FTW" features fellow DMV emcee, KT.

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD: Pro'Verb ft. KT - FTW

Wale - My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) [Video]

Africa stand up, Africa is the future and the future is NOW!!!!! If you don't know the history about this song go HERE.

Talib Kweli Talks About FELA! On Broadway [Video]

Kardinal Offishall – We Gon’ Go [Video]

Here’s the new video for the next single from Kardinal’s Mr. International. Great video, song, and concept.

Pro'Verb -"Revenge of the Furii..." [Video]

Pro'Verb releases his first promotional video for his upcoming tape entitled "Revenge of the Furii..."

Malcolm and Martin Mondays

"It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a radical conflict of black against white or as a purely American problem. Rather, we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter." - Malcolm X

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr.

YEBies BHM Fact of The Day : Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings & Monticello Plantation

Sally Hemings was born in 1773 the daughter of Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings and, allegedly, John Wayles, Thomas Jefferson's father-in-law. She became Thomas Jefferson's property as part of his inheritance from the Wayles estate in 1774 and came with her mother to Monticello by 1776. Sally Hemings was never officially freed by Thomas Jefferson. By all accounts Sally "was mighty near white. . . very handsome, long straight hair down her back; light colored and decidedly good looking". Sally Hemings had four surviving children of at least two were by Thomas Jefferson. Beverly (b. 1798), a carpenter and fiddler, was allowed to leave the plantation in late 1821 or early 1822 and, according to his brother, passed into white society in Washington, D.C. Harriet (b. 1801), a spinner in Jefferson's textile shop, also left Monticello in 1821 or 1822, probably with her brother, and passed for white as well. Madison Hemings (1805-1878), a carpenter and joiner, was given his freedom in Jefferson's will; he resettled in southern Ohio in 1836, where he worked at his trade and had a farm. Eston Hemings (1808-c1853), also a carpenter, moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, in the 1830s; there he was a well-known professional musician before moving about 1852 to Wisconsin, where he changed his name (to Eston Jefferson) along with his racial identity. Both Madison and Eston Hemings made known their belief that they were sons of Thomas Jefferson once they left Monticello. DNA testing conducted in 1998 indicated that a male in Jefferson's line was the father of at least one of Sally Hemings's children.

Nas at the BMI “How I Wrote That Song” Panel [Video]

YEBies BHM Term of The Day: "Okay"/ "OK"

Perhaps the most commonly used African word in the English language (and probably the word used in more countries than any other) is "okay," or "O.K,". Clues to its African roots were found in the 19th century black-spoken English of Jamaica and Surinam, as well as the Gullah speech of South Carolina, all of which have numerous forms of the word. Mande and Wolof people of Africa were two groups who used similar words. In the Mande language "o ke" meant "that's it" or "all right," while "waw kay", meant "all correct," in Wolof the culture. The use of the expression "O.K." is first recorded in the speech of black Americans around 1776, but it was probably used much earlier in the 1700s. By the 1830s it was a part of everyday conversations in America.

YEBies Presents: Weekly Tax Tips For The Win (WTTFTW) Week 4

Alright, we took a week off (I had client demands) but we are back hitting you upside the head with that extensive tax knowledge. This edition of WTTFTW is geared towards people that either own their own business or those employed as independent contractors.

Tax Tips #1 & 2 : Understanding Bonus Depreciation
This year the tax law includes 2 sections (179 and 168(k)) on bonus depreciation. As you may or may not know, most business expenses for items that will be in use over one year must has to be depreciated. However, in order to encourage business owners to make the government created two separate sections that will allow you claim your expenses faster.

Section 179 Deduction allows you to deduct the first $250,000 of equipment purchased within the tax year. Most small businesses and independent contractors do not have more than 250K worth of expenditures in a tax year, so Section 179 would allow you to deduct all of your expenses on your tax return. However, for those with more than there is an additional deduction you can take.

Section 168(k) Bonus Depreciation - This bonus depreciation allows you to deduct 50% of the purchase price of the asset in the year it was purchased. When applying these 2 sections you would first take the 179 deduction and then the 168(k) bonus depreciation. For example, If you spent 600K on equipment on 2009, you would be able to expense 250K under 179 immediately. After that the remaining 350K(600-250) would be reduced by 50% under section 168(k). The remaining 175K would be depreciated over the life of the equipment.

Tax Tip #3 : Home Office Expenses
If you operate a home office, you may qualify to deduct a portion of your home expenses (which are normally not deductible for tax purposes). The rules for qualifying for a home office deduction can be found at this site. If you qualify, the amount of the expenses you can take is a percentage, calculated in two ways. 1) Taking the Sq. Ft of your office and dividing it by the Sq Ft. of your house or 2) dividing 1(the office) by the amount of rooms in your house. So, if you had utility bills of 4,000 for the year and your office is 20% of your home, you would be able to take a $800 on your tax return.

That's it for this edition of WTTFTW, by now everyone should have their W-2's and 1099's and should be thinking about their tax returns. Leave questions in the comment section or e-mail yebies@gmail.com and I will try to answer all questions.

Peace,

You Resident Taxpert

Some Saul Williams For Your Soul...

For those on the east coast who are in the mist of our next snow storm, here's some old Saul Williams from the movie "Slam".

African Union Picks A New Leader

Leaders from 53 African countries chose Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika as the organization's new leader during their annual summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Moammar Gadhafi of Libya had been the head of this organization for the past year. The African Union seeks to boost cooperation and solidarity on the continent. Only heads of state are chosen as leaders, a position that rotates among African regions every year.

Common & Nas Talk Violent Lyrics [Video]

During the 52nd Annual Grammy weekend in LA, Common and Nas got together to discuss the impact their music has on each other and the emotions behind their lyrics.

Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here [Album Stream]

The album comes out next week but you can hear the entire LP right here. Please still go out and support this great artist. After listening go check out GilScottHeron.

YEBies BMH Fact of The Day: Blacks In Latin America

Afro-Latino is the term used by the world now to describe Latinos with some partial black African ancestry. However in most of these countries Afro Latin Americans are called "black" (in Spanish negro, in Portuguese negro or preto). Around 46% of Brazil's 188 million people are Afro-Brazilians. Brazil was the last Latin American country to abolish slavery. Afro-Colombians make up approximately 21% of the population in Colombia. Colombia is considered to have the third largest Black/African-descent population in the western hemisphere, following Brazil and the U.S.