African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal

Step into the African Underground and listen to a new voice inspired by religion, politics, old school Hip Hop and Senegalese culture.

For more information about this film and to take action, visit: www.mediathatmattersfest.org/8?id=7

Flawless Defined

Night Ride

NIGHT BITERS is the first in a series of fast paced horror novels targeted toward readers who enjoyed Harry Potter and the Twilight series, but yearn to read about characters that reflect their own rich diversity.
NIGHT BITERS tells the story of 16-year-old Jamilah and her 14-year old brother Omari when the two arrive in the city of Oakland, CA. A mysterious stranger gives Omari a magical compact disc and crucifix. Upon listening to the CD the siblings learn that the lyrics and the crucifix can aide them against the danger of vampires, but danger has never been as attractive as the handsome and charismatic heartbreaker Tyrone, or as beautiful and deadly as the vengeful Jennifer. Soon the siblings find themselves in twined with rival gangs, the Crimsons and the Cobalt’s. Their leaders transformed into vampires whose hatred for another threatens to destroy the city.

Orlando’s Joint is some Good $#!+!

One of the great things about going to comic conventions, is the rare chance to see or meet someone special. At Wondercon in SF while everyone one was celebrating Zack Snyder and the cast of  The Watchmen.  I was celebrating the DVD Orlando’s Joint.

I met Terence Anthony the creator  who described the animated series as  an “urban Southpark” I say that Orlando’s Joint is vastly superior to anything that is out there, its funny, cool, has charm and character s that are instantly likeable  Do yourself a favor purchase a copy of Orlando’s Joint, and pray that there’s a sequel

 

Check out his web page

Unity-N-Diversidad

EMO’s “DIVERSIDAD!” PROJECT IS SELECTED FOR THE 2008 EUROPEAN YEAR OF INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ! 

The 4th of December, the European Commission held a press conference to present the projects that have been selected for the “European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008”. 7 projects among over 300 have been selected including “DIVERSIDAD! – Promoting Dialogue and Exchange through European Urban Culture”, presented by EMO together with MICA (Music Information Centre Austria) and DIVERSITÉS. 

 

The project will take place all over Europe and especially in Austria during the European Football Championships 2008. The theme will be Hip Hop and Urban Culture, covered through a digital platform of exchange, conferences and seminars, live shows and forums, music singles and collaborative album, radio show and TV documentary. The aim of each activity is to allow artists to exchange inspiration, experiences and professional information, favouring artists’ mobility and circulation of music works overall Europe.

 Read more about the project

 See the new website www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu

Hip Hop in Spain

Spain is clearly a country with issues racism being the first issu to come to mind. However, Spain is one of the first to take on the U.S. for its acts of torture.  Hip hop is also a growing phenomenon in Spain

Spain: According to the 1999  report The rap scene is not strong in Spain, mainly because there is no Black community and no real organization of the hip hop underground movement. Only one band has achieved some success, Mission Hispana, all young Spanish kids.

 Spanish hip hop music began in the late 1980s. Break dance crews used mainly American recordings, while local rappers practised for very small underground audiences. A few rock bands, like Os Resentidos, Kortatu

and TDK tried and recorded some approaches to hip hop music, but kept most of their hard rock background.

In 1989 Troya Dscs&Rcrs label released the first Spanish hip hop LP: Madrid Hip Hop, a compilation of four bands from the province of Madrid: DNI, Estado Crítico, Sindicato del Crimen and QSC. The record presented two cuts of each band.  Later in 1989, Ariola major label tried a new push to establish some hip hop stars, with a new compilation of Madrilene hip hop music: Rappin Madrid, introduced more solists and groups, like MC Randy & D.J. Jonco.
Both attempts mostly failed, but helped to establish a viable scene in Madrid. Zona Bruta, the first Spanish hip hop specialised label, was founded in 1994. Some Spanish rappers are African.

Click here for a list of spanish hip hop artist

Click here 2 see and hear  Last FM’s  more complete list

Check out the artist on Hola

Just a few short years ago, 7 Notas, 7 Colores had been relegated to milk carton status. Notably absent from the music scene since the early turn of the century, fans were left wondering, “Where have they gone?” All that changed in 2007 when they reemerged with a new lineup and the fresh single, “Tenemos Droga”.

Rewind to 1993 in Barcelona, Spain. Hip Hop was still a few years away from its global explosion and there were only a handful of serious emcees actively honing their craft in this European Union member. Full-fledged Hip Hop crews were even more of a rare commodity. Ironically and unfortunately, one of these scarce rap groups had to disintegrate before 7 Notas could be birthed. At the time, there was a notable underground crew called Los Poetas Violentos. An aspiring young emcee named Mucho Muchacho (birth name Oliver Gallego) handed his demo to Dive Dibosso, the group’s producer, one evening after a performance. So floored by what he heard on the tape, Dibosso soon after left Los Poetas to pursue a musical avenue with Muchacho. And so from the ashes of Los Poetas Violentos rose the story of 7 Notas, 7 Colores (translates to 7 Notes [as in Do Re Mi…], 7 Colors [as in red, yellow, blueâ

source  Flight 808     Great article

 

 

Check out Notas 7

The First Pinoy Werewolf?

The true star of  my  Tales of Urban Horror series is the  Bay Area and its rich cultural diversity, which is why in Night Biters you have Latino, African  American and Vietnames vampires.

In Were Wolves the Mix Tape,  my soon to be release  second novel,  I introduce  Joseph Babay a Filipino werewolf.

I was asked is this the first Pinoy werewolf in print?

To which I answered,  I don’t know

Are there any other Pinoy werewolves out there?

Here’s a link to Chinese werewolves

here Werewolf in Bangkok

Click here to go to site

Venus West Coast Supremacy

a very rare ALL hip hop jam session podcast. And yeah, they’re ALL west coast.

Click here to hear

 

Visit her site and view her featured videos here

Hip Hop is Under a New Administration

( A Rant)

Venus host the weekly Sunday Night Jam Session podcast

First of all, fuck off hipsters, hip hop is ours. Hipster is a euphemism for appropriator. Yes these are warring words. I, the Hip Hop Nation, am declaring war. With that said, your so-called hipster hop, all those guys, they’re ours. By definition they are hip hop, and you can’t have them. Do not try to change the label to forget the past. As we fight this battle for popular culture, let me explain why I’m keeping these people for my country.

It would hurt me deeply to think that the legacy of hip hop will die in the hands of ill performed gangster rap. I do not want to be remembered for 50-Cent. I don’t want my future to be spoken by Soulja Boy. We will die. The Underground will never die true, but they are a subculture in the Diaspora. The only hope we have of someone who could represent us in our true form is Cory Gunz. (If he’s not corrupted.) Hip Hop needs the chance to redefine itself. You must understand that we are suffering from the same strength divide as the Republican party of the United States. Hip Hop needs to openly listen to what the new generation has to say, even though we’ve been jaded by the group in power. I would hate for the next generation to want to self identify as someone different than who they are just because we didn’t hear what they had to say. They are a reflection of their elders.
Understand this is politics.

I understand what we look like to the rest of the world. You know how George Bush labeled Muslims? Or the way he destroyed America’s reputation? That’s what rap did to Hip Hop. It destroyed our reputation. We are considered terrorists. The world thinks all MC’s have guns and promote destruction. They think we hate ourselves and our women are whores. Understand, our government is corrupt. The politicians don’t give back to the community, while they abuse it. All hip hop events are not shot up by a lynch mob. As the new president I would like to say, we really are educated. Not all rappers are angry hyper-masculinated fictional creatures. We do have morals. We just let a few rich bastards take over office and fuck things up. Some people should not be allowed to be millionaires, while the citizens pay the taxes.

With that said, we claim rights to hipster hop, which from now on will return to the title Hip Hop, mostly because hipster hop sounds stupid. They were born of Hip Hop blood. They rhyme like us, over beats like ours. You may ask what does this new administration have to offer these kids that is better than yours. We have history. There is strength in that. We are family. We are where they got their delivery and swag from. We put those beats in their heads. We taught them you could tell a story in song. We are where they lay their head when they’re not partying. The administration now is part of the same group they grew up with, not the ice kings of the last 8 years. Hip Hop is the place they can be themselves and not necessarily a character because we understand them. Even though they wear your clothes, trust me, they’ll change eventually.

Now, with my people repatriated, I’d like to see what you have to battle with that’s actually your own. Hipster nation, I dare you to give the skinny pants back to the early English pop bands. The knit hat to SoHo. The lip ring to SoMa. The earthy earrings back to the Bohemians. The rocker belts to the Punk bands. The red lumberjack plaid back to, well… lumberjacks.

BTW, Chuck Taylor’s are classics.
It’s ok to borrow, but you can’t call it your own.

So hipsters take heed, I’m keeping these artists, and any that may bloom in the future. Go peacefully, or the Hip Hop Nation will blow up an ironic t-shirt factory.

the president.
v.

ps. Do not argue with me about mowhawks. They are native to every continent.

Hipspters, the Same old rap

Found this article against the title Hipster Rap

“If Andre 3000 came out right now they’d call him hipster rap,” says The Bronx’s Mickey Factz. “Right now it’s a trend for 50 Cent and Lil Wayne to sing with a vocoder. What we’re doing isn’t a trend, it’s real. When 50 Cent raps over beats like this will they call him hipster rap?” Factz refers to his new remix with the Cool Kids, “Rockin’ ‘n Rollin,” whileindicting the buzz term of the moment, “hipster rap.” Factz runs freely when choosing beats (from “Rockin’ ‘n Rollin’s” Clipse-ish accordion all the way to electro and house) and subject matter (from gold sneakers to Sean Bell). “Hipster Rap” is the box into which a wave of similarly fearless artists including the Knux, the Cool Kids, and even Duck Down signees Kidz in the Hall, have been placed. These so-called hipster rappers are unified by disdain for that very category and by doing what they feel is right for their sound, regardless of eclecticism or consequences. Mickey Factz feat. the Cool Kids- “Rockin N Rollin” “It’s not about a styIe of music,” says Krispy Kream of Hollywood via New Orleans duo the Knux. “It’s about having the courage to bend genres.” Krispy is talking about the influence of Outkast on his group and this new lane of rappers unafraid to take chances and be themselves, who across regions took the ATLiens’ artistic example to heart. “Outkast are the trendsetters of the modern era,” says Double O of New Jersey and Chicago’s Kidz in the Hall. “The groups that you see now, Outkast made it cool to be who you want to be and also made it viable. They were able to evolve and they were the first to say the way I feel now is not the way I felt two years ago and I’ll represent that.” The boxed-in groups and soloists all recoil from the idea of self-conscious, trendy images and the notion of hipster rap. They sound fatigued when answering questions about it but stand unfazed in their creative convictions, whatever bigger stars of who they’re often fans of might say, or what a magazine or two might call them. But they do agree that something new is taking place. “There’s definitely something bubbling,” says Double O. “Every generation has to create their own golden era for themselves.” The Cool Kids- “Black Mags” “A lot of us are definitely coming from a more artistic side of things and trying to keep it creative,” says Mikey Rocks of The Cool Kids, a duo hailing from Michigan and Chicago. “People group artists like us into this hipster rap category which is associated with not being able to rap very well, you’re all about crazy clothes, or looking a certain way. They judge artists like us right from the beginning based off of appearance or a name without peeping the music. It’s human nature to put things you haven’t seen before into a category or a group.” The Knux- “Cappuchino” The Knux prize musicianship and a self-described garage band aesthetic over lyrical acrobatics, though Almillio is confident he can “swallow *****s all day” and Krispy is the same. The rest of the aforementioned MCs are similarly assured. But there’s not necessarily a sound that holds everyone together. The Cool Kids appeared from nowhere last year with Afrika Islam’s keyboard and a dusty song about bikes called “Black Mags” that they rode all the way into a Rhapsody commercial. Mickey Factz is a rapper who takes his Bronx heritage seriously but is free from convention. Kidz in the Hall are signed to Duck Down, sample Masta Ace, and collaborate with everyone from Bun B to Black Milk. Given all this, an ethos rather than a specific form of music links everyone together. “I don’t think there is a general sound because everyone’s doing their thing. The Cool Kids sound is not the Knux sound is not the Kidz in the Hall sound is not the Kid Sister sound is not the Spank Rock sound,” says Double O. “It’s not the sound of the 90s but it’s the feel of the 90s,” adds Rah Almillio of the Knux. “It has that ‘95 feel, it’s natural not contrived. You didn’t know what was coming next then. Everyone strived to be different from the other artists.” “You can be good but not original. Give me something to intrigue my ears already,” says Almillio. “The word I hear most about our sound is ‘refreshing.’ People use the word refreshing to describe our music. That’s a good word.” Along with Andre 3000 and Big Boi, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West are antecedents that align these new outcasts. This is in addition to the benefits of the Internet era where artists can develop themselves and reach fans free of industry constraints. The Internets may have killed the music industry but not music itself. This factor combined with the new rap icons’ presence definitely created a space for these neophyte acts. “Kanye, Pharrell, and Lupe opened up doors,” reasons Mikey Rocks, “because they were among the first successful artists that made it okay for black guys to be different. Before them it wasn’t okay to be an eclectic black guy. You couldn’t wear different clothes or address certain subject matter. These dudes opened up a whole new door for black artists to be who they are and I really appreciate that. They allowed the public to see that there are black artists that aren’t on the same old Hip-Hop thug ****. It’s become more acceptable to be able to tell your own stories, you don’t have to tell this pre-made rap story.” CRS- “US Placers” “The internet let’s people do what they want and also because of the Pharrells and the Kanyes, people can get out there and be themselves,” adds Double O. “It’s reality rap in a new form.” “The new revolution of file sharing and MySpace and the credible blogs helps us,” adds Rocks. “It’s a direct window from the artist to the listeners, if they don’t like it they’re gonna tell you about it. It’s a no holds barred connection, it’s not watered down, it’s not your publicist talking. That honesty is a good thing.” Rocks is confident in his B-boy stance no matter how others take his rhymes or regardless of what he’s wearing. However, there are trends in styIe and clothing that get thrown into the hipster rap box with the groups named, to the artists’ shared dismay. The fashion is often termed retro and is casually spoken of as those tight pants and funny colors. Add to that mix scarves, punk rock belts, snug shirts, multi-colored Nike dunks and a general 80s sensibility and you provide easy fodder for the industry’s reigning gangsta rappers, the Game and G-Unit, even if they’re perhaps commenting on a media designation, or a clothing styIe, rather than anyone’s specific music. “I work with Kanye,” the Game recently told AllHipHop. “You know the leader of the hipsters and that’s my man. I leave the little mini-hipsters to everybody else man.” “It bothers the **** out of me,” says Lloyd Banks, who also offered his opinion to AllHipHop. “Think about an aspiring artist, somebody that’s right now with the pad and he had Biggie and Pac, he had 50, he had Snoop. Then the **** changes up. What do you write about…the *****s wearing glitter belts and tight ass pants?” “Them *****s need a new name first,” said the Game in his interview, proving that him and G-Unit can at least agree on one thing. “The hipsters that sound like a ****in group at the convalescence home or some **** – the hipsters, [them] *****s better not be like, ‘Yo I’m a hipster.’ That ain’t cool.” The rappers thrown into the hipster rap mix generally and ironically agree with the Game about the term of the day. Some established artists are defenders of retro curiosities though, like Immortal Technique, himself sometimes labeled a “conscious rapper.” Despite truly being a hardcore CNN for current events, he sees looking backwards as something positive. “People **** on them, I guess what they call Hipster Rap or whatever the **** it is,” says Tech. “I think it [prompts] a lot of people to look into the history of Hip-Hop because that’s been the big issue… ‘If you’re really making a tie to the 80s’…well then let’s talk about what the 80s is. Now a lot of rappers are becoming aware of the fact they have to be accountable for what they say and they have to do the knowledge. So it’s reverberating inside the minds of kids. Kids want to know more about that political era that Hip-Hop came out of; about the things that were going on in the black and Latino community during that time.” Tech also adds: “If it comes at the price of some people that are confused about fashion or whatever… I don’t want to wear tight clothes but who the **** am I to criticize anybody else? I’m not here to point fingers at nobody because when you do that, there’s three fingers pointing back at you.” Online will be the forum where the most hate and debate on these groups takes place. It is worth recalling that a group named De La Soul once eschewed the Uptown drug dealer fashions of LL Cool J and Eric B. & Rakim for something more related to their daily lives, and sampled across genres in their music. Revisionist history aside, De La Soul were labeled as “hippies” rather than hipsters. Even then, it boiled down to the oft-asked question of what was Hip-Hop and what was not. That said, the MCs and producers down to the one are non-discriminating Hip-Hop junkies. Krispy and Almillio lovingly quote 2Pac and mention how “you feel Pac in your bones,” as well as giving full and unsolicited props to Scarface and Juvenile. Mickey Factz emphasizes that he didn’t grow up a hipster and that he listened to Rakim, Nas, and Biggie. Mikey Rocks says, “As soon as I was born, my parents were playing Slick Rick, I was born into this.” Kidz in the Hall are students of the genre who can analyze its every aspect in conversation. These acts are Hip-Hop purists at heart. “If you can move a crowd with words, that’s the key,” says Kidz in the Hall MC Naledge. “The poetry of Hip-Hop. It doesn’t matter whether I rhyme over a rock track, boom bap, something futuristic, an electro beat or accapella. It has a certain feel to it when someone is passionately pouring his heart into his words talking about his lifestyIe or someone else’s lifestyIe, telling stories, words rhyming. There’s a way it’s done. The voice is your instrument, the poetry is the instrument.” They also share strong opinions on rap versus the rap game. “We need to stop supporting people that don’t respect our craft,” says Almillio. “Go ahead and hustle but don’t mess up our thing.” “Put this in there for me,” says Krispy. “We don’t worship money.” Kidz in the Hall’s new video for “Driving Down the Block” from their latest album, The In Crowd, debuted on TRL of all places, the Cool Kids sell out shows all over the world without an album [they've recently announced The Bake Sale EP on Chocolate Industries will be available in June], the Knux have a deal with Jimmy Iovine’s Interscope, and Mickey Factz continues building a strong live and on-line buzz. These new rumblings may have mass appeal in an era where Hip-Hop for everyday people stands out. “I come from a city where things do happen,” says Almillio. “But you hear people talk about how I came out the door and some ***** let off some shots and those things went on but nobody talks about the rest of it. So are you really real?” “I’m human,” says Factz. “I can speak on Sean Bell and on buying a sneaker made of gold that you wear like a chain on the street and then I can talk about struggling to pay my phone bill and how today I have a job interview and I’m gonna skip on it. People are gonna relate to it because it’s real life.” Though the artists reject the hipster rap category, they’re not wasting too much time on it. Regardless of where the movement goes or what it’s called, they for now have lofty role models and a down to earth approach and attitude that focuses on the art form. “When Rakim came out, no one had his flow or his swagger, everything was totally different,” says Mickey Factz. “When Biggie and Nas came out, everyone was trying to sound like Fu-Schnickens and Das-Efx. Certain people had a set idea of how they wanted to rap and they changed how rap was looked at from then on.” “People are afraid to be different. But we’ll take the bullet,” says Krispy. “We’re staying on the move,” says Mikey Rocks, “and continuing this grind with the music. The music is the most important because nothing is possible without it. We keep that at the forefront.” —article courtesy of Allhiphop.com