Tuesday, November 14, 2006
November 2006 Newsletter
Northwest Urban Arts Culture and Community Development Newsletter 1
Linking those in Seattle dedicated to unifying, strengthening, and mobilizing local Hip Hop Culture and surrounding communities
November 29, 2006
* Davey D at the Hip Hop Community Roundtable at Langston Hughes Center
* Boots Riley of the Coup at the Hip Hop Brunch at Aaron Dixon Center
* The Ghetto Prez is gearing up to change the game
* Silent Lambs Project making moves with The Stranger
* FCC Seattle Public Hearing this Thursday, the 30th at Seattle Public Library!!!
NUACCD Newsletter c 2006
Send questions, comments, requests, submissions, whatever to Juliec.206@gmail.com
Davey D breaks it down at the Hip Hop Community Roundtable
Davey D , certified vet in Hip Hop, politics, and media reform to set a crucial context for the Hip Hop Roundtable Brunch Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center on Sunday, November 19 th, which was sponsored by Reclaim the Media and facilitated by Jace of the Silent Lambs Project for the thirty plus Seattle Hip Hop artists, promoters, media sources, and advocates last Sunday, speaking on how similar discussions of organizing to promote local scenes are surfacing in major cities across the country in response to the impact corporate control of media has on urban arts communities. "What has motivated folks is deep dissatisfaction with our images, our music, our culture, the lack of opportunity for local groups," he observed, "I could close my eyes and be in the different city and hear the same complaint." Using his insight on the success and shortcomings of media activism and organization in the Bay Area's Hyphie movement, Davey illustrated how shortsightedness on the part of artists contributed to weakening of the Bay Area's independent scene at a time when it had the most potential to do the opposite. "A lot of artists in the Bay abandoned ship when they got air play," Davey said. "People wanted to get on. Be big and famous, get in the limelight. One year after that, they were off again. When everything was up and running, it got snatched. Now it's almost dead." Unity, organization, and not selling out is the key to developing autonomous, sustainable institutions in the local urban arts scene. "Look at existing resources, movements, and energies that are in this region and figure out how to build on those," he says, referring to KBCS, KHIM, Coolout Network, Roc TV, Hip Hop 101 and other media reps who attended the meeting, "Take into account what Seattle has to offer, and do what Hip hop has always done- create a new game. Create a template for someone else to be inspired."
Be sure to check out this Sunday's meeting, December 3rd at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center at 2:00pm with special guest Shamako Noble, president of Hip Hop Congress.
For minutes from this meeting and more information on the community development efforts, hit me up at- Juliec.206@gmail.com
You can also check out Reclaim the Media's blog on the event athttp://reclaimthemedia.org/deepmedia/hip_hop_organizing
Boots Riley of the Coup Drops Gems at Hip Hop Community Brunch
Boots Riley of the Coup spoke at the Aaron Dixon Center (2111 E Union St) this past Saturday at the weekly Hip Hop Community Brunch hosted by dRED.i, BBP 206, Seattle Hip Hop Summit Youth Council, and the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center. Boots shared his wisdom on the inner workings of the industry, the thin line between major and independent records labels, and offered advice to young artists and activists on how to use Hip Hop as a tool for social and economic empowerment. Urging artists to know and, "cultivate your crowds," Boots stressed the importance of, "being out there, staying in people's faces and doing shows," calling attention to the vast amount of resources artists now have to connect directly with their audiences. The veteran emcee also posed strong critiques of the "false debate around conscious vs. unconscious rap," calling the divisions a misleading construct for markets. While 'conscious rap,' may romantically engage listeners in ideas, Boots maintains that "they don't have anything to do with us getting food in the refrigerator," or improving any other conditions symptomatic of the class struggle which has systematically operated to privilege some and leave others out in the cold. Organizers of last Saturday's brunch hope to keep the momentum of this forum going. The aim, says one organizer "is to engage the Hip Hop community around issues affecting this generation, whether it be police terrorism, or ethnic cleansing of urban neighborhoods [gentrification]. This is a place to put our heads together and dialogue around business, politics, and culture it pertains to the Hip Hop generation."
Check out the next meeting this Saturday with special guest Shamako Noble, president of Hip Hop Congress, 10am at the Aaron Dixon Center 2111 E Union.
For more information on the meetings hit up- wyking@gmail.com
History of African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center- www.aahmcc.org/history.html
The Ghetto Prez Gearing up to Change the Game
Keek " the Ghetto Prez" of Sea-Sick Media, is in the assessment and stratification process of creating Seattle's first Hip Hop artist union, The Teamsters, and with over a decade of experience in the industry, his pioneer status in the community, and the entrepreneurial chops of a true professional, he's the ideal man for the job. The Prez assembled a crew of emcees last Sunday to gather feedback and refine elements of his concept. Beyond providing opportunities for cross promotion, coop marketing, and joint distribution, the Prez aims to raise awareness of the commonly overlooked, but crucial role public relations, media, and management play in the success of artists. This machine, the Prez maintains, is undervalued in the region, and he likens the result of the lopsided focus to chocolate chip cookies without the chips. "We try to make recipes without all the ingredients. We think 'cause we got the best flour, the best milk, we can do this and that," he states, "but it don't come out right without all the proper elements." As a trial, the Prez is planning on systemizing his own network of industry affiliates as well as that of the ten to eleven founding members of the union, and releasing material as a test run for the format. "The foundation of the teamsters is 'recognize those that are the part of the machine,'" states the Prez, "It will always be there, but artists are interchangeable." He plans to expand the model and pursue long term goals such as providing artists with healthcare as the union evolves from its development stages.
For more information on this project drop a line to- gprez@sea-sick.com
Silent Lambs Project Partners with The Stranger
Pioneer emcee and teaching artist Jace of Silent Lambs Project has been pulling strings to provide the local Hip Hop scene and its representatives with a powerful platform in the Seattle independent publication, The Stranger. Understanding the economic opportunities that come from a thriving independent scene, Jace's goal is spotlighting the local Hip Hop community and the wealth of talent and creativity it offers through this strategic alliance with media. He is collaborating with the paper to produce Dope Emporium- A Hip Hop Expo and Gallery at the Capitol Hill Arts Center (1621 12th Ave), December 14th, a showcase which will present "everything local Hip Hop has to offer for 2007." Expect music, artwork, and merchandise from a wide array of local urban artists and labels, booths offering information on Hip Hop activism, education programs, and independent urban media sources, some dope performances by Silent Lambs, Specs One, Abyssinian Creole, Kuddie Mak, and Old Dominion, as well as special guest appearances by GodSpeed, dRED.i, Silver Shadow D, Pirate Radio, and Neezie Please-the works! Jace plans to produce similar events, along with regular features on local Hip Hop in the Stranger to provide a strong foundation and infrastructure for the next generation of young artists coming up. Also, don't forget to tune into Street Soundz on KEXP December 4 th and the 11th for the Dope Gallery Take-Over!
For more information on this project drop a line to- ecajjace@yahoo.com
FCC Seattle Public Hearing this Thursday, the 30th at Seattle Public Library!!!
Also, If you're sick of the same watered down half baked content on the airwaves, don't forget to come through to Seattle Public Library in the main auditorium 6pm Thursday, November 30th to the FCC Seattle public hearing on media ownership ! FCC commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein will be in town tomorrow to gather testimony on this issue as they consider revising media ownership rules. This is our opportunity to send a strong message to the FCC that we will not tolerate anymore corporate takeovers of independent outlets that shut out our local artists and produce the same commercial garbage on TV and radio. The success of this hearing, cosponsored by Reclaim the Media, The Seattle Times, KBCS 91.3fm, the Minority Executive Directors Coalition, and the UW Department of Communication, and the policy outcomes that result relies on the presence and participation of the people. It's time to represent, Seattle! See y'all there. One luv.
For more information on this issue visit www.reclaimthemedia.org, and www.stopbigmedia.com
Seattle City Council passes Media Bill of Rights Resolution
November 27, 2006
Seattle, WA – The Seattle City Council passed a resoulution calling upon U.S. policymakers to support the Media Bill of Rights, ensuring that present and future generations are able to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech. The council joins a broad coalition of consumer, public interest, media reform, organized labor and other groups representing millions of Americans in supporting the principles of access to media in an open marketplace of ideas, use of the public airwaves to serve the public interest and media that reflect and respond to local communities.
The resolution, sponsored by council members Jean Godden and Nick Licata, builds upon earlier policy espoused in a previous resolution by the council in support of diversity in media ownership. In that resolution, the council urged the Federal Communications Commission to resist attempts to repeal the cross-ownership ban and further urge the Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to protect content diversity and press freedom. Godden, who has a background as a journalist spoke passionately about how the public, through the media, was led to believe that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. " It is very important to have dissident voices as well as those coming from the government or corporate concerns," Godden said. "Freedom of the press shouldn't always be a matter of being able to own a radio station or a newspaper, it ought to be an opportunity for us to speak out."
This resolution comes just as Seattle residents are preparing for a November 30th public hearing on media ownership with FCC commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein. The commissioners will hear testimony on the FCC's current notice of rulemaking that could further relax media ownership caps. Council chair Nick Licata notes, "I would hope that other cities will pass similar resolutions that will get the attention of our representatives in congress who have certainly watered down the public's protections and access to these major media outlets." Seattle is in good company. Cities across the country are passing their own resolutions supporting the Media Bill of Rights.
To read the full text of the Media Bill of Rights and learn more about the Seattle Public Hearing on Media Ownership visit www.reclaimthemedia.org.
To learn more about past and upcoming hearings go to: www.stopbigmedia.com, www.fcc.gov/ownership.
NUACCD Newsletter c 2006
Julie Chang Schulman
Hip Hop Congress, 206 Zulu, Alpha P
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/juliec206/blog#ixzz11mViCYMO
