April 10, 1993, just over a year after finishing college at the University of Pittsburgh, I printed and distributed the first edition of Da Ghetto Tymz magazine—well, then it was a newsletter because I hadn’t even thought of creating a magazine. I just had a few things to say and knew I wasn’t the ‘standing-in-the-streets-on-top-of-a-soap-box’ type.

However, I felt a calling to write, even more-so to share both thoughts and views that pondered my mind since I was a youth and what I had been learning since my “re-awakening” that started in 1991 thanks to legendary emcee KRS-One spoken about at length in my first book, ‘Analitikul Cogitationz’.

Little did I know after publishing my premiere issue with the first article being ‘Mythologies of Black Versus White’ would lead to inner-views with some of the most mentally stimulating people of our time starting with my Jegna Anthony Browder (Issue #19, Dec’94), Sister Souljah (#22, Mar.’95), Naim Akbar (#24, May’95), KRS-One (#25, Jun’95), and Steve Cokely (#29, Sep’95).

Da Ghetto Tymz (DGT for short) became a voice where conscious info was shared in a way I felt our current black media was failing since they began accepting white advertisements—which ultimately means white control.

To stay with the ‘tymz’, DGT morphed as technology advanced: from newsletter, to magazine, to digital magazine. At the aftermath of the last economic recession of 2007-2010, Issue #114 Jun’06 ended our streak of printed editions. It’s also when the effects of gentrification began consuming Black businesses—namely Black bookstores (ask yourselves, where are they today?).

DGT had to evolve. The good thing is I was ready. I make it a point to not gloat and remain humble, but I’d be remissed to mention on our 30th Anniversary that daghettotymz.com is probably the longest running Afrikan-centered publication on the internet having debuted January 1, 1996! Before Ebony, before Jet, and before Black Enterprise, and even non-Afrikan owned yet Afrikan culture portrayed Hip Hop magazines like The Source and Vibe!

When I look back, DGT has faired well over the years in contributing to the digital merge of conscious information to the internet allowing connections and commonalities to diasporically be discussed with the intent and eventual goal of collaborative resolution to our age-old challenge: the effects of Yurugu/global white supremacy dependency.

May I gloat just a little more? Here's a graphic timeline of notable dates of our first 20 years (click >> here << for closeup):

• • April 10, 1993 — DGT Founded, premiere issue released
• • December 1994 — First inner-view with Master Historian and Jegna, Anthony Browder
• • September 1995 — First inner-view with Futurologist and Boulé buster, Steve Cokely
• • March 1996 — Boulé series debuts
• • July 1997 — Issue #50
• • January 1998 — Iss#57 article ‘IZ Islam 4 Afrikanz?’ released sparking first cyber debate
• • April 2003 — Celebrated first decade and 100th issue
• • January 2006 — Premiere of DGTv Digital Video Articles Season One
• • June 2006 — Last printed version of DGT and debut of DGT Digital magazine
• • August 2007 — DGT founder, M’Bwebe Ishangi releases first book, ‘Analitikul Cogitationz’
• • September 2010 — Versus Series debut
• • June 2011 — DGTeez t-shirt line launches
• • September 2012 — R.E.A.D. (Restore Education of the Afrikan Diaspora) 30-day literacy month started
• • February 2013 — Ishangi publishes 3rd book, ‘Urban Unrest: Slavery in New York’
• • April 2013 — DGTs 20th Anniversary
• • December 2016 — released first documentary ‘The Future of Our Past - Using Cooperatives to Survive and Compete in the Next Twenty Years’
• • January 2019 — Ishangi releases 5th book, ‘Who IZ the Boulé?'
• • August 2020 — Ishangi releases 5th book, ‘A Pot to Piss In: Intergenerational Wealth Planning for Black People’

View more >> here <<

WHAT'S NEXT

Over the past three decades, we’ve documented the deterioration of Afrikan consciousness. Gone are the Black bookstores and todays current crop of youtube wannabe historians are more into self-branding, preferring social media “likes” over the “love” of extending the works of our master scholars like Chancellor Williams, Cheikh Ante Diop, John Henrik Clarke, Francess Cress-Welsing, Browder, Marimba Ani, and Mwalimu Baruti (to name a few).

Couple that with the millennial plague of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) where our youth haven’t the patience to read but rather indulge in youtube and social media “cliffnotes”, it’s clear the state of OUR-story is on the verge of intellectual distinction!

Technology in the form of digital eBooks (ie, Kindle, PDFs, and audiobooks) have replaced the value of actually having books in our home. What happens if there's an extended blackout and all your books are on your laptop?! This also has put Black publishing houses at risk of going out of business—those that are remaining.

In sync with Baruti’s words, this is why this 30th anniversary celebration is more of a internal reflection on the dire need to continue this work!

Paraphrasing from my piece, ‘A.R.T.: Afrikan Ritual Thought of Protecting Our Writingz’:

Now more than ever is there a need for new vanguards of Our-story. In the past two years, we've had two of our greatest and latest giants transition in now Ances-Starz Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan (March 19, 2015) and Dr. Cress-Welsings (January 2, 2016) as the Dr. Finch, Nana Sekhmet Newton, Marimba Ani, and Anthony Browder's assume position, so must ensuing generations make the preservation of our history of major importance!

PREMEIRE ISSUE 1993

The horn of Akoben calls for those of you reading this, who are in the know and have supported DGT, to consider what your contribution will be to the preservation of OUR-story

I humbly offer, we already have a playbook to follow created by Dr. Neely Fuller, Jr., Ances-Star Francess Cress-Welsing, and Keidi Awadu called ‘The Ten Areas of People Activity (10 APA for short). These are created fields by white folks used to be in position of power (although their power is predicated on our continued ignorance). With each of these 10 APAs just ask yourselves what race of people are in control and how has it served them versus how it’s served us.

I share with you a synoptic overview with accompanying articles of resolution I’ve written over the years for your review

Reading is becoming a pastime activity. Our greatest books are no longer being printed, Black bookstores are becoming fossilized before our very eyes, and Attention Deficient Disorder has clasped its grips into millennials. this is why this 30th anniversary celebration is more of a internal reflection on the dire need to continue this work!

1. Economics
It is 2023 and we are still 99% consumer and 1% producer! Gentrification has been effective because we finance it ourselves and it starts as early as where we deposit our paychecks! (hint: banks use our deposits to loan money to non-AfriKan developers who come into our communities — and we get no interest or dividend from profits yield!)

INTERNAL reflections
• From Fired to Hiring Myself: A Year's Reflection
• The Unapologetic Quest to G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Ethnic Cleansing Through Economics
• Get #CryptoWoke with M’Bwebe Ishangi
• Read from my financal blog catalog

2. Education
Reading is becoming a pastime activity. Our greatest books are no longer being printed, Black bookstores are becoming fossilized before our very eyes, and Attention Deficient Disorder has clasped its grips into millennials.

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS:

R.E.A.D. It’s not illegal...yet!

At the root of global white dependency are groups of societies who hold secrets. I invite you to check our R-Kyvz Vault
• The Significance of Historical Consciousness
• Boom Shots | Rapsheets
• Uncle Tom vs. Uncle Tom

3. Entertainment
Although this is an area we’re allowed to be the most free of all areas, it comes with a cost: the loss of cultural identity. From industrial patents to the arts (music, fashion, and even language), Afrikan people have been the seed of entertainment. Don’t take my word for it, ask Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz Venture Capital who intends to make a billion dollars off culture created by POADUS (People of Afriakn Descent in the United States)!

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS:

• Athletics versus Slavery 1.75: Athletes Can Spark Da Revolution!... But Will They?
• A Historical Perspective Between Deficiency and Difference

4. Health
Historically Afrikan men have the shortest lifespan. Collectively, we have inherited the poorest of diets due to economic deprivation, food desserts in our communities, and a cultural amnesia of how we once knew the importance of balanced mental, spiritual, and physical wellness.

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• The History of White Sugar: the Hidden Truth
• The 3 Muskateerz: the FDA, Monsanto, & Soy: the Assault on the Human Diet
• Vaccines That Kill

5. Labor
The startling intergenerational stat of our being 99% consumer/1% producer lay in the fact we are not entrepreneurs. Instead, we ask everyone else for employment rather than what everyone else has done: Do. For. Self!

NTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• The Future of Our Past - Using Cooperatives to Survive and Compete in the Next Twenty Years

6. Law
The law was never meant to benefit us. Review the Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787 for starters. This is probably one of white folks most impenetrable and effective areas.

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• 25 Yearz?! Y Not LIFE!!
• American-Afrikan vs. African-American

7. Politics
A better term is Poli-tricks, as tne of the latest we witnessed was the 2016 election where the popular vote was overturned by the electoral vote putting #45 in office.

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• Obama: What Could Have Been May Now Never Be!
• Y I'm Not A Registered Voter
• Recharging the Revolution

8. Religion
One of the top areas, religion has been used to keep us in a stupor! Coupled with (mis)education told from their-story, the quest of self-reclamation has been on pause to the point it may never be resuscitated unless we train the new millennial generation!

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• Sankofa Kemetamorphosis: Ancestral Calling
• The God Complex: The Microcozm of the Macrocozm
• Fallen Star
• Heru vs. Jesus
• IZ Islam 4 Afrikanz?
• >> More<<

9. Sex
Gender balance could be the perfect kryptonite to global white dependency. But it starts with us Brothas being able to step aside for our Sis-Starz to lead!

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• Sistaz Can Spark Da Revolution!

10. War
This is being fought on several levels mentally, spiritually, and physically. In my opinion, Each of the previous nine APAs are strategic war tactics used to keep us in the state we’re in. What we must realize is this can be flipped to benefit us simply by countering and refraining from repeating history!

INTERNAL REFLECTIONS
• When Knowledge Became Kryptonite
• Ignoring History Perpetuates the Myth of White Supremacy
• H.E.L.P.: Human Extinction Level Project

I am truly humbled to have been blessed to publish works catered specifically for the Afrikan Diaspora for the last 30 years. I’m even more humbled and grateful to you reading this, whether you’re reading my works for the first time, been rolling with me since ’93, or any period in between. I sincerely appreciate your interest and support over the years and hope it will not waver.

In the spirit of Marcus Garvey who created the Negro World Newspaper August 17, 1918—115 years ago—I look for DGT to continue to be of service standing on those Ances-Starz shoulders (including JA Rogers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ivan Van Sertima, Del Jones, and those known and unknown reaching back to the antiquital days of Kush and Kemet…

As KRS-One said, 'We will be here forever! Forever and ever, and ever and ever! We will be here forever..." from ’93 ’til Infinity!

Knowledge of Self Can Only Be Found Undaground!

May the Ances-Starz guide and protect you as you venture on the road of righteousness…

Wishing you health and well(th) and Medaase Pa (Give thanks) for your continued interest and support!

Bless…