Self Expression Behind The Sobriquet

People have always been curious on why I use ‘MISTA MO’ as my moniker, instead of going by God given name which is actually ‘Morgan’.

When I started doing stand-up comedy back ’94, I had a club manager tell me that I should drop the name; because it made me sound like a Rapper.

Back then I said to myself; “Why should I listen to a white bred club manager, making decisions on how I should represent myself; I don’t give him advice on how to play the banjo!”

You would never hear me say
“You’re playing it all wrong; you sound too Country!”

The truth is I go by ‘MISTA MO’ for many reasons:
For one, as far as I can remember - I've always went by pet names; it all started with my creative parents.

(Well my mother was creative; my dad…he was high on weed!)

Growing up, they never called me by my real name…I guess it's just a Jamaican thing.

In Jamaica, you are identified by something that relates to you. If you’re over weight, they call you Bigga; if you’re tall, they call you Straights; if you’re from a foreign country…they call you Lucky!

Growing up in my parent’s home, I was given two pet names; my mom calls me ‘Mickey’, and my dad calls me ‘Jah Jah Bwoy’: ‘Jah’ meaning God the most High, and ‘bwoy’ which is simple broken English for ‘boy’.

God’s boy: hmmm…I guess my dad thought he was Joseph, and I wasn't really his.

I don't know why my mom calls me Mickey; she calls me by that name till this very day.

Every time she calls me that name in public, I’d say to myself “I wish Alzheimer’s would strike any day now.”

Everyone in my family’s got a nickname: my Mother’s real name is Ruby Lee; but she goes by Ruby, Sam, and Jackie.
She has so many names…you'd swear she's on the run!

(Like some real shit went down during the Civil Rights Movement.)

Even my Grandmother on my father’s side has a pet name; her real name is Imogene, but my dad and everyone on his side of the family calls her Tiss!

But if me and my siblings ever get caught calling her that, my dad would whip our ass.

I would have to remind him
“You can’t touch me; I’m God’s boy…remember?”

People have always called me something other than my real name; but not all these names came from out of love.

Even when I started going to school, people had a nickname for me.

No one called me Morgan, oh not even close…they called me Nigger!

I heard it so much, after awhile I just responded to it.

Even on field trips the word ‘Nigger’ was written on my name tag…my teacher wrote it in herself!

The odd kid would call me jungle bunny; I’d always let him know that he got the wrong guy; I would say to him “Buddy…read the name tag! Jungle bunny is the other Black kid…we don’t all look alike!”

After awhile no matter where I went, everyone was calling me the N-word; but at that time, I didn't know this word was offensive; I just didn’t think the name suit me!

Everyday I would walk around all confused saying, “I don’t look like a Nigger, I think I look more like a Steve, or a Craig!”

Back in those days I thought I was celebrity; because everybody knew me by name.

I wasn't starring in anything, so I just assumed people knew I could sing!
(I thought my Mom was really good at PR!)

Little did I know if I happened to have my own Hollywood Star of Fame, those people would’ve stomped all over it.

I thought I was big time: thinking I was a celebrity, I even used that N-word to sign autographs!

Young screaming white girls would come up to me saying "Excuse me little nigger, could you sign my poster?"

I still didn't catch on; I was so excited, all I could say was, "I thought you'd never ask...would you also like me to sign your Buckwheat lunch box?"

Onetime a bunch of white guys called me that word from a drive by pick-up truck; but because I thought I was a celebrity, I gave them the queen’s wave!

What else was I supposed to do? I was young, I was naïve; I was only in the third grade!

Months Later, I started realizing that the N-word was derogatory; white boys would call me that word while kicking my ass, and burying my face in the mud; that's when I thought to myself, "Something’s wrong here…they would never do this to JJ From ‘Good Times’!”

Kids continued to call me that word through out public school, and Junior High; but it came with a price.
When these kids called me the N-word, I would respond; but my response came with an ass whooping!

When I began going to High School, most of the students went by nicknames; because I was dealing with urban kids from the streets - they either had an alias, or they went by their surnames…there's something about just using your last name that makes you sound like you were the shit.

Dave Plummer was Plummer, Chris Steeles was Steeles, and Lisa Cox was Cocks!

(Pardon the pun, but the name did fit her very well…sometimes a perfect fit!)

Later on in High School, I was going through my black power phase; after all that nigger talk, who could blame me; so I took on the name 'Emoja': if you remove the 'E', Moja is Swahili for ‘one’, or ‘unity’.

I wish I thought of that name in my earlier years; I would’ve preached ‘unity’ before those white boys beat the crap out of me!

Then after quitting school, and having problems with authority, I changed it to ‘MISTA MO’ in ‘92. I wanted to show that I don’t go by society’s standards.

‘MISTA’ which is slang for Mr. - because I demand respect, and ‘Mo’ which is short for Morgan, or my initials for Morgan Oliver; unfortunately Oliver is my middle name.

The truth is if I ever went to prison under Morgan Oliver Smith…I’d get raped!

By the end of my prison term, I would have a brand new nickname; I would’ve been given the name ‘Bitch’!

Using an alias confuses people outside urban culture; people ask why I don’t I just use my real name.

The truth is, I've never came to grips about using my real name; especially my last name, because it’s a product of slavery; by not using it, it's my own way of making a social statement.

(I guess my Black Power phase ain’t over yet. Call me nigger now…I dare you!)

I guess some non-blacks are threatened by this, but it has nothing to do with whites; it's just simply a personal thing between me and the people who ripped that part away from my African culture.

The last name 'Smith' doesn't bring me any closer to my African ancestry; it only brings me closer to a whip!

(With an Anglo-Saxon man holding it)

To end things off, I use an alias because I love being attached to hip hop culture; it represents my struggle, my pain, and my freedom of speech.

Some may say that I use a moniker to hide behind my true identity; I find this to be far from the truth.
I’m slowly showing the public the real me.
The true self
ALWAYS OVER SHADOWS THE NAME!