We finally made it to the election after being inflicted with a plague, and police murders that resulted in protests, and tear gassing that would make a 14-year-old write a letter for Amnesty International to our government.

Who do you write letters to if elected officials are tear gassed?

I feel like the past seven years were unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

With that said, currently I view our country from the eyes of a latchkey kid whose parents are divorcing.

Dad was awful at some point but now he isn’t as scary because you know his life is changing.

Trump says things that are either funny like a dad trying to be cool, and other times you’re still like: I truly understand why my mom wants to leave this guy. While mom had valid reasons to leave him there is part of me that appreciates that Trump does seem to sincerely like Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West and Ice Cube.

The fact you can find sincere rapport with Trump is kind of how I started to understand the loyalty people had towards him.

He might be part of things your ideals hate... but he is human.

Mom, I guess would be our voters.

Mom seems slightly confused.

She keeps dating Republicans, but talks to me about returning to her liberal ideals.

Alls I know is there was a curfew, and I'm eating to-go food like pizza. I’m spending a lot time by myself.

Pretty much once I get off the bus, I’m listening to rap. And eating food.

As complicated as these times are, in many ways COVID, and the police killings have simplified people.

Americans back to their ideal essence. They don’t like diseases, and they don’t like racial violence.

Sunlight is healthy. People in their extended communities spent time together outdoors during daytime hours.  Partially because so many people are off work. Also, because if you don’t drink bleach, sunlight is good for you.

I noticed parents riding their bikes with their kids. I wonder if these will be formative in a: 2020 is these kids got to know their parents.

If you walk around the Bethel Road area and visit the Recreation center, you’ll notice various immigrants from grandparents to toddlers talking with each other.

Black Live Matter signs are outside adult homes all over the city and suburbs.

Protesters were also in the sun.

The Short North was decorated with art promoting humanity.

People of all races were standing up for human rights.

While our police look like TIANNAMEN Square footage, the protestors look like the American’s we wanted to be while reading MLK JR.

In many ways, the actions of our people are living his dream

This is beautiful.

Q. What were your favorite Jazz albums 2020?

Anon PBJ’s Jazz Albums of the Year

Roy Ayers - Jazz is Dead 2

Liquid Crystal Project - Black Lives Always Mattered

Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Totured Mind

The Budos Band - Long in the Tooth

Thundercat - It is What It Is.

Taylor Swift - Folklore

Like You Didn’t Know I Had Read James Carville

I read both Biden’s books. I found his developing years to be like reading Jack Kerouac if Kerouac had a life plan. Biden traveled and had experiences with women he visited while traveling. As Biden became an adult, I learned of the deaths of his loved ones. I read about Bork. I learned of his friendship with the last democratic president before him. The things I gathered was that he quietly understood from listening and researching, then used subtly to both disarm Bork, and function as a Vice President.

I was comfortable with the idea of him becoming president from the person I read about who was also VP for eight years. I wondered if America would elect someone who would politely analyze a situation and methodically aim to solve problems, or if America was addicted to confrontation.

These things I noticed during the election: Biden let everyone speak, stated his points, and implemented a winning strategy. People feared the Democrats’ Middle Class dad persona vs. Supervillain. Republican dad persona was what lost for Dukakis, Gore, Kerry, and Hillary Clinton.

Biden proved to be as suave as the guy who was the VP for the last triumphant democrat.

Reading books by myself in random places helped me get to know Biden.

Sometimes during covering rap, jazz, and reggae events I’m the only white person in the room except for another white guy in the room. There are various archetypes of being the only other white guy in the room

There is the old reggae guy. Or the other white people you came with.

Then there is the random normal white dude who is friends with people involved and would seem square if you weren’t noticing that he was friends with everyone without agenda.

He doesn’t speak in vocal inflictions or Jamaican patios. He is there because he is friends with people organically.

I grew to like Biden like the random normal white dude I would noticing having fun with his friends without dramatics.

Then the “you ain’t black if you vote for Trump” thing happened. He made a headline grabbing statement that was subtle.  Rap literacy was beyond the “why are old white dudes trying to define blackness.”

It was controversial enough to make replays. Safe in content once digested.

Second subtle maneuver. How to say black lives matter without looking like a cop killer?

Biden made mistakes with overinflating COVID facts to say black lives matter in a way that old white people would understand without looking like an anarchist.

Once Jim Clyburn mobilized the black vote during the primaries people wondered if Biden would tangibly include black people. Or if he would take their votes for granted.

Contextually there was eight years that people seemed to forget.

Historically, others had made mistakes which Biden didn’t.

Clyburn is close with former National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s father. Rice worked during Biden’s VP tenure.

Susan Rice said while she was first involved with government, Biden would meet with her during certain moments during breaks while she was having a confrontation inside somewhere. Rice said Biden never really got involved with Rice’s dramas but knowledge of where she was during periods of question made it clear people couldn’t lie about or bully her.

She said Biden never was involved in her dramas, but his presence kept her from being lied about.

Did this effect Jim Clyburn’s opinion of Biden?

Biden picked Kamala Harris as a running mate.

While Biden choose Kamala over Rice, I’m sure they all know each other.

Kamala was from Senator from California picked instead of the National Security Advisor from Portland, Maine.

The end result of the Kamala pick was a VP people were comfortable with from a larger population.

Kamala destroyed the notion that a woman can’t be elected. Kamala delivered a resounding victory in California winning by almost six million votes.

Remember Trump was constantly threatening California for not voting for him.

California was a certain victory. This didn’t make electoral college sense initially. The Kamala pick did illustrate a resounding victory once Biden won the electoral college.

Trump had donated to a Kamala campaign before Trump really couldn’t make the VP elect divisive.

The Biden campaign did an advertising buy from FOX News once he took the lead in close states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

Fox News called those states for Biden before MSNBC.

The result was an electoral college victory, and a larger popular vote than Biden experienced as the victorious VP.

While Trump is doing recounts, the clear image of Biden as the victor in electoral and popular vote was for everyone to see.

Free Press Editor Bob Fitrakis could take this year off in terms of recounts.

The Columbus Free Press and wcrsfm.org 92.7 / 98.3 are part of the Pacifica Network which includes Democracy Now and Rising Up With Sonali.

There is worry regarding Biden’s friendships with Republicans.

if you are selling the idea of free speech, freedom of the press, the constitution and a functional government, then you must look at everyone as an American Citizen.

The thing that made Trump frightening was the vengeance mode.

Divisiveness doesn’t unite the entire country during a plague and human rights violations.

Many leftist people were curious about Kasich.

 Well, I can tell you that Kasich was unpopular with some Trump supporters with whom I had spoken. Some people thought he mishandled his 2016 public response to the Central States saying there was no longer pensions for Teamsters who paid into this for their entire lives.

Marcy Kaptur, Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman, and Joyce Beatty stood up for blue collar workers who were told they were losing their pensions. The Ohio leaders are Democrats and Republicans.

Bi-partisan conversation.

In 2016, Trump appealed to these Teamsters who felt like they were being ignored. This is how Trump found those working-class white people.

While I have no proof Kasich did anything wrong, Trump made the pension fund response Kasich’s fault.

Pension fund issue was eventually resolved. The Teamsters received their pensions.

The frame Trump built hurt Kasich who didn’t deliver working class white people for Biden in the Red States.

But Kasich did show that Biden wasn’t trying to ruin Republicans lives.

Biden didn’t want to do a similar thing to Republicans that Trump did to California.

Some Republicans are just happy Kasich uses diplomacy instead threatening anyone who disagrees with him.

Biden’s middle-class dad move worked here.

This translated to voters who also liked McCain. Biden close with McCain and can be seen on the View comforting McCain’s daughters, and quietly mentioning economic ideas for our country's future.

This helped win Arizona.

Biden basically let suburbanites know he didn’t plan to put on a toga and burn down their houses with his weird college friends.

Biden didn’t have to scream defund the police or Medicare for All because our cities will need to restructure their police departments. Covid is will a require a health care response that can’t be ruined by pharma if America wants to survive the plague.

Columbus passed a civilian review board with a resounding vote.

Medicare for All could’ve helped the preventative side of Covid.

Q. Who did you vote for?

Anon BSA: Biden/Harris

Q. Do you have an opinion about the recent events?

Anon BSA: Give Wes Flexner a book publisher which he could develop movies from.

The rap music I’m listened to this year:

Currensy - Gold and Chrome is the most important song that isn’t about police brutality written this year. Currency discussed raising a child during the emergence of Covid. The writing method allows a clear description of the sea change that occurred within weeks. Currency deserves every award musicians’ receive for this song. “Gold and Chrome” is historic.

Currensy isn’t Trump, and I don’t know if he is a middle class democrat.

Public Enemy - State of the Union produced by Premier told you which white backpackers were voting for Trump. If someone who complains about the current state of rap couldn't appreciate Chuck D assailing a president as fascist over a Premier production as good as his work with Group Home, Jeru, or Gangstarr then they were a Trump Supporter. Once this would reveal itself in a conversation, I would point out that Trump was once friends with Russell Simmons and likes rap so maybe he looked at this as an accomplishment that P.E. dissed him.

Lil Baby – Bigger Picture discussed the protests while encouraging voting from the perspective of someone who wouldn’t normally be considered political but felt the need to save our country. I wondered if Kanye tried to get Lil Baby to vote for him while they were making music a few months later.

RJD2 – A Salute to the Blood Bowl Legends scratched a DJ Przm vocal sample in a deejay composition that’s name referenced a skateboarding and graffiti spot. The Blood Bowl is literally five minutes away from where I’m typing this. RJD2 was successful in a tribute to Bustown skateboarding, and Hip Hop Culture.

RIP DJ PRZM

Snarls  - Burst - This Columbus, Ohio band combined reverb, and sound with incredibly catchy and intimate songwriting.

Run the Jewels - Killer Mike was the most beloved person in rap as he campaigned for Bernie Sanders, and helped encourage Atlanta to vote, and be productive after the police murders.

Q. How could you tell someone in the Columbus rock scene is a secret Trump supporter?

Anon BSA - if they know me and used to Q.Anon to try to undermine my leftist works which were pragmatic for winning elections for Biden.

Other music worth mentioning:

Illogic - Autopilot

Saigon ft. Kool G Rap – MF Effect

DJ Critical Hype ft. Andre 3000 + Tyler The Creator- Got My Eyes Open

Busta Rhymes – Look Over Your Shoulder ft. Kendrick Lamar

Saweetie – Tap in

DJ Rhettmatic + JRawls aka Rawlsmatic – Role Reversal feat. Craig G

Black Thought ft. Pusha T, Killer Mike + Swizz Beats- Good Morning

Ghostface Killah – Burner to Burner

Kid Cudi – Leader Of Tha Delinquentz

Jeru The Damaja – Power To The People

Smif-N-Wessun – Bucktown 360

Conway the Machine - Front Lines

Anderson Paak - Lockdown

Jim Jones ft. Conway the Machine, M. Scibilia - The People remix

Jay Electronica - AWT…album of the year

Jack Harlow – What’s Poppin’

Evidence – Unlearning

Yves Tumor - Gospel for A New Century

Paris - Safe Space invader

Blu & Exile – Miles

CJ Fly + Joey Badass – Rudebwoy

The internets:

Versus

RZA vs. Premier reminded everyone that listening to Hip Hop with your friends is Hip Hop. Especially if RZA and Premier are in your living room playing the music.

Jeezy vs. Gucci - A confrontation that once led to Gucci killing someone was resolved with music, and the bigger picture plain to see. Did Hip Hop learn something from Pac and Biggie?  Yes

Q. How can you tell that someone is a Trump Supporter at sports bar?

Anon BSA - Regular Trump supporters are easy. Usually they buy me drinks, then look really confused at the words I would say: I’m for everyone from Kasich to Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown. Sometimes they think for a second with confused look then agree with me regarding issues. 

2021: Discussing ideas is a better approach.

Prediction.

The start of Winter saw a spike in Covid. People aren’t in the sun as much. 

We should have the Covid vaccine soon.

I used the dad reference point a few times here. Once to state the country feels like a divorce. Once again regarding democrat middle marketing. Another complimenting Currency’s song to his son. While I shouldn’t have to clarify...pych-ops is why 2020 was in shambles.

Wes Flexner’s Rock N Roll Show Wednesdays 7pm 92.7 /98.3 wcrsfm.org.

BSA Hip Hop Thursdays 7pm 92.7 / 98.3 wcrsfm.org.