Story of a Show: Native Hip Hop Showcase at Daybreak Star

On March 7th, 2014, I had the honor of joining Sista Hailstorm and a host of other Native Hip Hop artists at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for a powerful event and showcase. Drawing together elders, families, and youth, the gathering featured sets from a broad base of indigenous artists from all over the region and beyond including Jacmov Jay T, Tiny Lokota, G-Field, Native Styles 1, Mista Chief, Stryk-9, M.U.S.T I Mind, Salish Son, and Epidehmik and Phillosphy, with DJ Too Quick holding down the tables for the night and Shigg Says Radio holding down interviews and a live broadcast of the show. The 206 Zulu Shakas lent their support for security, and host of the evening was Lady Belknap, emcee and organizer of the night.

Deeper than your average Hip Hop show, this event occurred on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the militant, grassroots reclamation of the land and space which is now Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, and the significance of this was not lost on attendees. Prior to the event, Lady Belknap convened a circle of introductions, blessings, and thanks for all involved. Amidst burning sage, traditional song, and the exchange of gifts, staff, elders, artists, and volunteers went around and shared their backgrounds, stories, and gratitude. Particularly moving for me were the words of Pam Nason Kia/Elder at United Indians. As a

close friend of the late Bernie Whitebear who spearheaded the reclamation, Pam has worked with the center since its inception and the depth of her connection to the space and its legacy was apparent as she spoke. Through teary eyes, she thanked everyone for our presence, for breathing life back into the struggling Daybreak Center, and for the inspiration and promise of better days to come through solidarity, mutual support, and community building. 





Below is an interview I did with Lady Belknap on the origins of this event, its impact and the intersections of culture, struggle, Hip Hop, and decolonization. A more thorough write up on the performance aspect of this showcase by Ramona Ridgewell, along with more photos from the show is available here. 

JULIE C: What was your vision for this event?

LADY BELKNAP:  My vision for the Native American Hip Hop Concert was to showcase Native rappers to the Northwest publically, including myself, Lady Belknap. Never did I dream that this event would be so publicized and there would become a demand in the state of Washington for more Native Hip Hop concerts in the future because of this event. Initially, I simply wanted to help keep the doors of the United Indians/Daybreak Star open because they were about to foreclose on the property and lose everything. I had a strong burden in my heart to help and do something, anything no matter how small the effort was. From the time I pitched the idea to United Indians to have an All-Native American Hip Hop Benefit Concert line up, a big check came in to help keep the doors open at Daybreak Star. Therefore the concert then became a fundraiser effort for the Seafair Pow Wow, which needed money to happen this year as well. 

JC: How does Hip Hop relate to the legacy of struggle at Daybreak and to that of first peoples in general?

LB: If you read my Lady Belknap Profile, you will see that my music is a story of the evil that has happened to Native American People over the generations since Assimilation of First Americans-Native American People in North America.  Daybreak Star/United Indians struggle to stay open is pretty much the story of Native Americans simply trying to stay alive and exist for generations.  To me personally, this is completely mind-blowing that we as a First Nations people would have to fight to live and thrive because we were here in the United States long before it ever was a country.  The struggle at Daybreak is no different than the struggle of Native American Populations all across America today and in the past.  Our people seem to have to fight just to stay alive and exist as sovereign nations as promised in many treaties in the past.

Indian Health Services Statistics say that Native Americans have at least 100-300% higher rates than other races in suicide, domestic abuse, teenage pregnancy, high school dropout, drug/alcohol abuse, death to preventable things like car wrecks, diabetes complications, etc.  The unemployment rates are usually in the 90^th percentile on most Indian Reservations in the U.S. Native American Children put in foster homes in this nation is sort of an epidemic.  This is sad to know that the indigenous people of this nation have such oppression in this day and age.

Native American Hip Hop has become an outlet for Indian rappers, emcees, singers, and so forth to have an outlet to their pain and frustration, like mine personally about Native American People’s conditions today.  Hip Hop has also become an outlet that Native Artists can actually have a career in music when no other options are available.  The Native Rappers/Emcees can use their God-Given Talents to showcase to the world professionally in Hip Hop.  You will find there are so many Native American’s with talent in Hip Hop and simply need a helping hand to show case their talent, encourage them, and point them in positive directions to success.  This is what the Native American Hip Hop Benefit Concert at Daybreak Star was about to Lady Belknap, the host and performer.  The traditional Native American Way is to help others, especially your own people and this was the underlying motto.

JC: What made you reach out to 206 Zulu shakas to hold down security force?

LB: I had been networking via Facebook with 206 Zulu for a very long time.  There were many in time that I grew to know on a professional level in a two years time concerning Hip Hop in the Puget Sound.  I had been watching 206 Zulu for some time and started going to their events with my family when invited or when I saw them taking place.  Many 206 Zulu Members told me that they would always be of any assistance for my rap career and all I had to do was ask.  I kept this in the back of my mind for the future.

 

I attended the 10^th Anniversary Zulu Event on Valentine’s Day, February 14^th, 2014, and was blown away by what I saw! Sista Hailstorm is a rapper who I only saw on Youtube before, but have been wanting to watch perform live was spitting on stage with Julie C, and they tore that stage up with fire on that microphone!  I WAS EXCITED!  So when it came time for the line-up to be chosen for the Native American Hip Hop Line-Up to be chosen at Daybreak Star, the first performer that came to my mind was Sista Hailstorm. 

When I went to the 206 Zulu 10^th Anniversary I witnessed so much love, compassion, caring, and family values I ever saw at a Hip Hop Event.  I saw a lady rapping on stage with a baby on her back! [Olisa 'Spyc-E' Enrico] I NEVER WITNESSED SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL IN HIP HOP! In my mind and heart, I had to collaborate with 206 Zulu on behalf of Daybreak Star/United Indians because I knew they could teach us how to be unified and love each other on that kind of level in time as I witnessed on Valentine’s Day of all days!  I was introduced to King Khazm by Miss Jocie Hamilton, 206 Zulu Member from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.  I’m from Montana too and had been networking with her for a long time via Facebook and met her for the first time in person that night. 

I also saw Sista Hailstorm acting as security at the 206 Zulu 10^th Anniversary Event and had approached her about being security for our event at Daybreak as well.  I know that Sista Hailstorm is very traditional and cultural in the Native American Ways and I knew I could count on her and 206 Zulu to carry that same respect and reverence as an artist and as security at the Daybreak Star Facility.  We were also on a zero budget as well, and I knew that 206 Zulu would be empathetic to help and volunteer their time and services.  

I had been watching DJ Too Quick aka Back Pack Chris spin for about a year and a half at Columbia City Theatre and was very impressed with his skills and professionalism which is why I asked him to participate as a DJ, and he said yes immediately.  I didn’t know that he is Native American from Alaska as well.  I was very shocked and very happy that he was the disc jockey who represented the 1^st Nations as well.  The audience loved DJ Too Quick as did the volunteers and rappers.

Shigg Says Radio was broadcasting the event live and I had asked him because of his DEEP love and reverence for Underground Hip Hop and a friend was very impressed with his skills and the way he works well with people.  He’s a person who loves to exhort and lift others up with a positive mental attitude always!  I chose to ask Shigg because of these things.  Of course, he was excited to broadcast the show live and had so many interviews that he could barely keep up!  I watched him at the Native Hip Hop Benefit Concert as excited as a little kid in a candy store or toy store, haha.  J  Shigg wants to follow all of the artists who performed Native and Non-Native in our careers.

My vision for this Native American Hip Hop Fund-Raising Concert surpassed anything I had initially envisioned.  I’m excited to take the contacts and team mates I gained and do something with hip hop professionally not only in the Puget Sound in Seattle, but in Washington State and all over Indian Country in North America!  

The Story of a Show: Olmeca in Seattle

Back in August 26th, 2013, the world renowned underground revolutionary artist from LA, Olmeca, touched down in Seattle. He was joined on stage with Sista Hailstorm, Julie C, and Poesia (who also did this flyer artwork to the right) for an intimate show. If you missed it, which you probably did due to that fact that this show was largely overlooked by the Hip Hop community in Seattle, there is video below. But my aim in this narrative is not to guilt you for not coming. Actually, I want to share an important back story to how this event even came about. For me, organizers of the event, and for the author of the narrative below, the beginning of this story started on a rainy night down at Westlake at the dawn of Occupy Seattle, traveled across the imaginary lines we call 'borders' south to Chiapas, the heart of the Zapatista movement, and back up before landing at South Side Commons in Columbia City. I first met Tabs, aka Isolina, one organizer of this event, on one of those early Occupy nights. Actually, the first time I saw her, she was getting arrested by the SPD for sitting on the ground. She became one of the powerful voices advocating the decolonization framework for Occupy, and a big supporter of Hip Hop Occupies to Decolonize early in the game while we were still battling the doubtful for a voice in the movement. I talk a lot about the importance of art and culture in movement, revolution, change. It is, to me, a fundamental aspect of humanity, and thus just as fundamental in inspiring, galvanizing, and organizing the masses, beyond just "a tool of outreach". So I guess, take the story below as a case study, and remember, it's always bigger than Hip Hop. Here it goes, in her words:

"When I reflect back on the journey we took in December 2012, I can hardly believe that was part of my life. It was a shared experience with four other female bodied people. A shared experience, that was potent, eye opening, and an affirmation that our ancestors are with us holding our hands, holding us up, and guiding us through a very tricky world.  We are on a path and we do not know where it will take us.

Much earlier that year a group of folks that had organized a myriad of actions and events, amidst the craziness and hostility that was Occupy Seattle.  That is where it really started.  When our paths crossed and the direction of our lives would move in ways we couldn’t have forseen. We discussed the need for International Solidarity, to share our experience and to listen with an open heart to the experiences of those across imaginary lines, without the misrepresentation of “the media”.  We wanted real stories and we are a group that acknowledges the liberation of all, is through Decolonization.  This was a topic we explored together, most of us people of color, but some of us not. We were learning and searching in our own hearts, and I know this globalized system is not for us, never was, and never will be.

Our intentions grew clear, we sought living examples of autonomy, that were not tendency based. Personally the “autonomy” exercised in the Seattle Anarchist scene was a joke to me. It was just that, a scene, instead of a healthy thriving community. There was no focus on how to build outside of the system, merely romanticizing burning down the system.  Romantic ideas of revolt, but as we know romance can fade.  They so wanted Seattle to be Greece or Spain, but with clouds always hovering close, it’s hard to rile up a crowd here.  

 

For me, it is all about what you do, more than what you say, because talk is very cheap and it is rare to see talk turned into action that benefits the community and not the individual.  Everyone wants to be down with the black n’ brown struggle, but the practice from many tendency’s, is alienating to those from those communities.  I don’t need someone to tell me about my oppression.  I live it, every day, so thanks but no thanks.  That is not helpful to me.  By the way I don’t consider myself an activist and I don’t claim a tendency. I’m just a human being that is after the truth and I want to live a real life, not just survive in a system.  And I’m down to work, that’s why my focus is growing organic localized food, in the city! Food Autonomy, taking government and corporations out of the food system and focusing on community based gardens that exist on every city side strip of grass. Talk about un-seemingly subversive.  Healthy food is a human right, not a commodity.  A body deprived of good nutrition has the side effect of a lack of will, hmmmm interesting. More Prozac please.  

As the months and meetings went on it boiled down to five people going to Chiapas, Mexico. Our intention was to see autonomy as a living, breathing, working way of life. Not just a theory in a book.  We wanted to learn how to incorporate autonomy within the city and within what we do in our communities.  We were able to stay at La Universidad de la Tierra (the university of the earth), an autonomous university open and free to those that want to learn. A university that acquired land through a donation, the school has everything that it needs to be sustainable on the campus. Everything!  And it is all made with beauty. We were welcomed there with open arms and curious looks.  The university works closely with the Zapatista communities and we were humbled to be able to experience and see what we did.  And we were able to do this because of ARMA, a group from L.A. that organizes brigada’s a couple of times a year to Zapatista communities. Our friend Olmeca was crucial to make our journey happen. He prepped us and helped us and without his good words for us, we would have not been able to have gone. For this we were indebted to him and we wanted to hold him up by organizing a hip-hop show in Seattle. We also wanted to meet him, as only one person in our group had met him before.  We put together our humble show, we don’t have a background in organizing music shows, and we wanted it to be accessible monetarily as well as different age groups.  As Julie C put it, it was a potent group of folks that showed up.  We are sure there will be more shows, as Olmeca created a very special and heartfelt show, and he has a lot to share.

Our group is into building lasting relationships and global community,  whether it be on the West Coast of the U.S. or across the imaginary lines called borders.  We are in a time of darkness in humanity and personally I’m interested in the light that will come after, but it will take work, it will take time, and for it to be healthy change, it takes communities and ego-less solidarity.  We do this for the kids, for the elders, for the communities, and for the ancestors guiding us towards a life of dignity, honesty, and respect. Together we Decolonize.
- Isolina"

Footage from the show:

Thoughts on the Movement Potential of "Women in Hip Hop"

These thoughts flowed forth from reading Bakari Kitwana’s “A Hip Hop Response to Chris Brown and Rihanna.” Kitwana’s basic premise was that the Hip Hop political organizers could transform this incident into an opportunity by launching a public policy campaign around domestic violence. This got me to thinking about the issue, the Women in Hip Hop surge, and whether or not this is evidence that such a campaign could be effective.

Hip Hop needed its woman’s movement, and the last few years have been a blast. We needed our voices heard. We wrote books, dropped albums, made documentaries, launched initiatives, built youth programs, nonprofit organizations, conferences, shows, support networks, and Hip Hop Association even declared 2008 the “Year of the Woman in Hip Hop.” It was inspiring. I don’t know how many records or books it sold or how many careers it launched, but I know we all got a little more press. I also know that programs were funded, stipends were dished out by universities, and all of a sudden, everyone wanted a token woman in Hip Hop at their fund raising dinner. I also know that women who were the most active in their communities realized there was a whole network of sisters doing just the same all across the world, all because of this “Women in Hip Hop” spotlight. Was it self-empowering? Yes it was. Did this at all have an impact on domestic violence numbers? I’m guessing not at all.

The reason we have fallen short on impacting public policy is because we let misogyny dominate the conversation. It’s not exactly our fault; many of us didn’t know it was happening. Journalists wanted to know what parts of ourselves we were sacrificing to be in Hip Hop, feminist and women organizations wanted us to generate youth interest, colleges wanted us to speak on the subject, and we were caught off guard. But now we have to come back and face the consequences. In the field of the Hip Hop movement base -the artists, the hood, there are places where this conversation has not only alienated our male counterparts, its reinforced divisions between organizations and individuals on the local level, and even blocked open honest dialogue on sexuality and relationships amongst women ourselves. Here is why:

Liken misogyny in Hip Hop to domestic violence in relationships. Now, look at the detrimental impact that compartmentalizing the issue of domestic violence has had on families, especially in the case of people of color and immigrant communities in the criminal justice system. I was in court earlier this week and a Bosnian woman crying while pleading the judge to release her husband in custody. She said, “In my country when you call the police, they help. Here they don’t listen.” It’s also been show that public financial assistance programs also have divisive consequences in the relationship of parents, reinforcing a negative cycle of unhealthy relationships. Thus, the human rights advocacy and service provision framework that centralizes women as victims of either her partner’s abuse or his inability to provide is unhealthy because it is divisive in real life application. Likewise, focusing on misogyny is incorrect for the Hip Hop movement base because it removes real life women artists and activists from their relationships, family, and community context.

While I agree that Americans need to think change their thinking about dating violence, domestic abuse and gender equity, we need a holistic, empowering approach to reach the masses and address the root causes. For women in Hip Hop, in the context of the broader movement, this means refusing to let the misogyny and domestic violence discussion further criminalize our brothers, sons, cousins, and fathers, who are already either disproportionately imprisoned, or out dying on the streets. For a Hip Hop public policy initiative on dating and domestic violence to make real changes, we can't replicate the flaws of the criminal justice system and the state. We need to turn our energies toward healing our families and communities as one.

NW Hip Hop News: March/April

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

NW Hip Hop News: March 2008


March/April 2008 Issue:

-Seattle Battles HB2712, the Gangbill
-Hip Hop Activist Arrested at NAAM Opening
-Seattle Women in Hip Hop in the Press
-206 Zulu 4th Anniversary Celebration Recap
-DJ B-Girl CD Release this Friday at Lofi!!

It Keeps Getting Worse: HB 2712

Hip Hop organizers and activists in Washington state have been turning up the heat behind demanding Gov. Christine Gregoire veto House Bill 2712 , the anti-gang legislation immediately. In the past few weeks, Hip Hop grassroots media outlets Zulu Radio, The Keith Tucker Show, and Hip Hop 101 TV have all done features on the issue, urging their viewers and listeners to SIGN THE PETITION TO VETO THE GANG BILL , and call the offices of Governor Gregoire at (360) 902-4111 to voice objections.

From the jump, it was apparent to many youth advocates and human rights activists that this bill would unfairly criminalize young people in our communities, especially young people of color. In an informational video by James Bible and Priest Amen, featuring music from Rajnii Eddins, Blue Scholars , and Gabriel Teodros, the commentators outline concerns surrounding the bill. They summarize how HB 2712 will legitimize racial profiling, stereotype culturally-relevant non-violent behavior as gang-
related, lean too heavily on increasing arrests and creating harsher punishments, and completely lack to acknowledge the root causes of gang activity in young people.

Despite this, HB 2712 passed House by a 94-1 margin in early March, largely because the original bill promised $10 million dollars for intervention programs seperate in addition to competitive grants for law enforcement agencies. Sadly but not suprisingly, while the money on the law enforcement side survived Senate, the money for intervention did not.

On March 24th, the Coalition of Citizens for Justice, made up of members of the NAACP, the National Black United Front, SYPP, Justice Works, and others, met with the governor’s aide, Marty Brown, to voice their concerns. Gregoire was unable to attend the meeting. "He seemed really nonchalant about it," said Priest Amen, "we were concerned about his demeanor, and we hope he took our concerns about the bill seriously." So far, the coalition has gained the support of Senator Adam Kline, and King Council Member Larry Gossett, as well as held press conferences to raise awareness on the bill.

Despite the success of these informational campaigns in building a strong base of support for the veto, it still remains unclear whether or not our voices have fallen on deaf ears in the governor’s office. The bill will cross her desk on March 28th, but she has until April 5th to either sign or veto it. As a last effort, the Coalition of Citizens for Justice is planning a rally later this week, either on Friday or Saturday. You can email Priest97@msn.com for more information.

When asked what the coalition will do if the bill is passed and the legislation becomes law, Priest Amen asserted that the group is well-equipt and prepared to challenge the constitutionality of the bill in court. They also plan to organize a group to push for the removal of Governor Christie Gregoire. "We need a governor who will be more accountable to the concerns of the youth, of low income people, people of color- the full diversity of Washington State."

Activist Arrested at NAAM Grand Opening

When the Urban League’s Northwest African American Museum hosted its grand opening on March 15th at the old Colman School in Seattle, it was featured on the front page of the Sunday paper, as well as in most other major and independent press in the city. Most stories gushed acclaim and praise for NAAM and commended the efforts of the Urban League in seeing the project through. Public officials from the governor down were present at the opening ceremony, as well as church leaders, and other prestigious community members. On the surface, it was a celebration. However, for many in the Hip Hop community, the opening of NAAM marked the next step in a legacy of class-struggle passed down to us from the previous generation, a struggle that calls into question the very intention of many established "leaders" speaking for the Black Community in Seattle.

Charlie James, one of several original visionaries and activists who fought for twenty years for the project, wrote a bittersweet article published in the Seattle Times this March on his refusal to participate in opening ceremony. Instead of bowing out, Wyking, of the Seattle Hip Hop Youth Council, took the stage on March 8th, to confront public officials on their support of the gang bill, and address the shortcomings of the Urban League Village NAAM. Hear him speak more on the issue here in a KBCS broadcast.


(Photo: From left, Carver Gayton, former F.B.I Agent, and Executive Director of Northwest African American Museum, Wyking calling NAAM out)

Upon hearing about the arrest of Wyking at the grand opening of the Northwest African American Museum in March, Amanda Diva of Floetry Remix whipped up a tragically hilarious take on the issue for her online show, Diva TV: Episode 9. The Seattle-specific segment starts roughly 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the show, and shows Miss Diva visiting a very disappointing African American Museum in Seattle where the only three Black leaders are Oprah Whinrey, Bill Cosby, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She said, "[ Seattle’s Urban League] had the chance and the power to make sure that this community center was done in a proper way and they chose the payout instead. What a let down."

Be on the look out for more indepth, investigative report on the history of the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, coming soon from our media coalition. In the meantime, for some context, check out this video on the gentrification in the Central District and Hidmo.

B Girl Media

2008: The Year of the Woman in Hip Hop

The tremendous organizing and outreach efforts behind the regional women in Hip Hop movement, lead by groups like C.A.R.A , B-Girl Bench, and Pinay sa Seattle, are paying off as more and more women Hip Hop artists are finding their way into local media. Check out the February 20th article on 1st Quarter Storm here, and be sure to read El Dia and Rogue Pinay’s own responses in the comments below. Also check March 19th’s article on our comrade Beloved1. Special thanks to Erika Hobart for holding it down at the Seattle Weekly.
Emcee, activist, and teaching-artist Beloved1 is also repping the Northwest in her work with the Woman- hood Learning Project. Launched by Hip Hop Association, WLP "is a sound out to all the B-Girls and Hip Hop Queens-women who have transformed music and culture." In an early March press released, H2A declared 2008 The Year of Women in Hip Hop, and are launching a series of projects to educate, organize, and empower women in Hip Hop. For more information email beloved313@gmail.com.

Also, Be sure to join the B-Girl Media/Project Mayhem family at the Lo Fi Gallery this Friday for the OFFICIAL "Love or Fate" release Party , and afterparty at Oseao Gallery. See the Calendar for more information!

206 Zulu’s 4th Anniversary Recap
By King Khazm

Hip Hop Culture and community represented full force at Seattle Center last February 15-17th, at the 206 Zulu 4th Anniversary Celebration. Held in collaboration with Festival Sundiata , Seattle’s Center’s African/African-American Cultural Arts festival, people of all ages and ethnicities from across the country gathered to experience this true-school celebration of ’peace, love, unity, and having fun!’ This year’s showcase featured moving performances from Beyond Reality, Gabriel Teodros, The Elefaders , BYC, Major Moves (NJ), DJ DV One, Alpha-P, DJ Young Native (AZ), Mind Movers, Orukusaki (SF), DJ Backside (CA), Paulie Rhyme (Cleveland), and more, with immaculate lighting and sound provided by Spoken Visuals.

A new addition to this year’s event was a second stage, which housed "Couch Sessions," hosted by Laura "Piece" Kelly-Jahn . This live interview segment, which ran during performance intermissions, invited inspiring, educational, and critical dialogue with key leaders in the Northwest Hip Hop Community, including King Khazm, DJ Kun Luv of Seaspot, Ghetto Prez of Sea Sick, and Block Union Teamsters, and Wyking of Seattle Hip Hop Youth Council. discussion segment complimented an interactive Writer’s Bench, Youth Workshops, coordinated by Julie-C, featuring beat box workshops from Audio Poet , breakin’ and dance lead by Rufio, BeLoved, and graff lead by OneSevenNine. Generous time and equipment donations from SCAN Network and Georgio Brown Productions made for an impressive interactive, multimedia experience for all who attended. 206 Zulu would like to thank special guests Zulu King Yoda (NYC), of the Universal Zulu Nation World Supreme Council, as well as Zulu Queen Michele (PA), Davey D, and UZN Oregon for showing support. 206 Zulu would also like to also extend a very special thanks to Heidi Jackson , of djDIVA’s Night at Waid’s Haitian Cuisine & Lounge, Massive Monkees, The Vera Project , and Soul One for hosting the After Parties! Stay tuned for photos and videos coming soon. In the meanwhile, check out the 3rd Anniversary’s photos HERE.

206 Zulu is getting down at Seattle Center on May 24th again, for Northwest Folklife Festival! Featuring Alpha-P, Waves of the Mind, and BYC, as well as special performances from Orbitron , DJ Tecumseh, and DJ B-Girl. We’ll keep you plugged.

Thanks for reading. You can reach me at juliec@hiphopcongress.com

Luv,

Julie C.

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/juliec206/blog#ixzz11mY9mRFT

NW HIp Hop News February 2008

February 02, 2008

Local to Global Networking for the Northwest Hip Hop Community
February 2008
B Girl Media206 Zulu

Notable January Recaps
The breakdown of last month's events...

-Project Mayhem and Laced Up launched the first episode of Water, on January 23rd at Columbia City Theater in South Seattle, a Northwest Hip Hop collaborative production that defied all odds, keeping community-building its core momentum. It was grind-level Hip Hop at its best, with some of Seattle"s most underrated, top-notch crews. "All Independent local artists, $15 bucks at the door, in the South End and it worked," said Open Hands of SleepWalkers , an emcee duo who, along with Waves of the Mind make up Mind Movas. Combine Mind Movas with Alpha P, BYC, and B-Girl Media , and that's the backbone of Project Mayhem, a conglomerate crew who, along with MadK and others are central organizers of 206 Zulu. Confused? It doesn't matter. As a diverse collaboration of some of Seattle's most networked artists, crews, and supporters, Water was a multifaceted Hip Hop Powerhouse, built from the ground up.

"The vision was connecting everyone with everyone," said Andrew Rotherford of BYC, key organizer of the event, "and cultivating a powerful shift with that energy."The film photographer and editor linked up with Jeremy "Jerm" DuBois of Alpha P to produce Water after they caught the spark exploring a new film idea. Drawing from years of relationships, family ties, and the concrete network the collective boasts, the duo pulled together a line-up as fluid as movement and invited the town to break bread courtesy of Princess Franada Catering, build, and rock with some of Seattle Hip Hop's best kept jewels.

From the opening music spun by DJ Intro Cuts of Poster Midget, to the final tracks cut by DJ Audeos of NW Gear, the collective brought it hard. Illtop, GodSpeed, Good Medicine, LaRue, and Project Mahyem, blessed the mic with Amos Miller and Language Arts as special guests. BYC (Money Mike, BeNo, B-Boy CleanUp, and Apple 1) held down the floor along with Mikeski from FunkySneakers and Remi from FraggleRock.

Respect to the 206 Zulu Camp along with GCL1 of 21st Century Martial Arts and Block Teamsters Union for holding down the security and William Brody of Red, White, and Boot Productions for holding down the stage management, and shouts to Yirim Seck, King Khazm, Sista Hailstorm, Rogue Pinay, Lulu Carpenter, Jai Bird, Mario, Jen Johnsen, Macklemore, Merm, and everyone else who came through and brought their people together to kick off the launch of Water. Check the next episode of Water, on February 27th featuring I.Gang, Black Senate, and Parker Brothaz of Block Teamster's Union, and 4BC Musik's Silent Lambs Project, when we bring it to Neumos on Capitol Hill.

R.I.P Antwoyn Elijah King, age 19 * January 20th, 2008

-Shouts out to Wyking of Remix Marketing and Seattle Hip Hop Youth Council for winning the MLK King County Hip Hop Pioneer's Award on January 19th, an event that was a part of the county's MLK Celebration. Laura "Piece" Kelley-Jahn and Jen Johnson from Seattle Debate Foundation were also honored as finalists, and Hip Hop debaters from Seattle and Tacoma, along with teaching artist and debate coach Rajnii Eddins graced the stages at both events. What? You didn't know that Martin Luther King Jr. County had Hip Hop Awards? Don't feel bad because most award finalists themselves didn't know until few weeks before the ceremony itself. What do winners get? A plaque, some recognition, semi-good publicity opps if media picks it up, and hopefully a platform to address some important issues impacting Hip Hop's constituency in the region. Here's what Wyking had to say:

"I appreciate the work that we've been doing in our community with hip-hop being recognized and honored witht he MLK County Hip-Hop Award. I don't think there is anything more MLK than hip-hop so I think it's a supreme opportunity to challenge people's perception of what hip-hop is and also what Dr. King stood and gave his life for. A lot of people talk MLK but they are far from his walk. If this is going to be MLK County we need it to be that in principle and policies not just name. We need to get away from the Rufus King Plantation policies and politics that are displacing us from our communities and miseducating and sentencing our children to incarceration and death. Dr. King stood up and took sacrifices for what he thought was right. We are in a time where people need to stand up be willing to put something on the line to make our communities and world better."

Musica Entertainment's CEO Tony Benton said he started the Seattle awards five years ago to reach out to city government and dispel stereotypes about local hip-hop venues, according to an article in Tacoma's News Tribune.

"There was essentially a misunderstanding of what hip-hop was," said Benton , also the community affairs director for Clear Channel's Puget Sound radio stations, which include hip- hop-oriented KUBE-FM (93.3). "It's more than just gangsta rap music." Benton said he believes progress has been made in Seattle.

...the talk sounds good, but you've got to appreciate the irony of this exerpt given the role media conglomerates like Clear Channel have knowingly played in perpetuating stereotypes through 'ish like payola ...are these words of an insider, an ill-informed reformist, or just another person who's full of it? Folks can read more about the awards ceremony from Marian Liu at the Seattle Times .

-The same time the Hip Hop Awards were crackin' off, Pinay SA , CARA (Communities Against Rape and Abuse), Youth Speaks Seattle, 206 Zulu, KBCS, Bayan-USA, Hip Hop Congress, and B-Girl Media presented INDAYOG 2, the second annual all women's Hip Hop show to a PACKED house at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, featuring performances by Chief Sealth Filipino Youth Club, Melissa Noelle Green, Beyond Reality, Piece, Beloved1, Gigi, Southern Komfort, Kontagious, Onion, Julie C, DJ B-Girl Chillz, SKIM, and more!

" Indayog is a manifestation of the thoughts and emotions that build up inside me from years of being made to feel silent and invisible," said Rogue Pinay of Pinay SA, organizer of the event, " [last year's] show was a discovery of female voices in the hiphop community and the resulting barrage of energy that burst forth...[this year's event] is a more focused and intentional space to address the intersection of current issues that affect me on a daily basis- imperial agression, gentrification, violence against womyn and the commodification of our art (and hiphop in particular), which are all tools of state repression."

In preparing the program for the night's event, Pinay SA asked performers to answer the question: Why would you do a show on state repression? Here are some of exerpts of some answers:

"Hip Hop is a progressive social movement, with revolutionary origins, and subersive potential. Created as a reaction to the systematic deconstruction of the civil rights movement, hip hop functions as a safe space for urban youth seeking refuge from crime and drug culture."
-Laura "Piece" Kelley-Jahn

"State repression most drastically affects those who see what is wrong in the system and are planning or working to change it. Many artists fit in this catagory by definition. We are both educating and inspiring audiences while also working to effectively counteract repressive tactics."
-Angela "El Dia" Dy

"Division itself dilutes power and continues to draw borders between groups of people who are struggling. If everybody decided to work together and support each other as a whole, we could take back out power in the local and regional music markets."
-DJ B-Girl Chillz

"Just as energy cannot be destroyed, but only transferred from one form to another, oppressive societies and governments must be redeemed, starting with individuals. I believe Hip Hop offers a form of redemption..that's why I'm an emcee and b-girl, and that's why I'm part of Indayog II, the rhythm of movement."
-Beloved1

-Chukundi "DJ Kun Luv" Salisbury of Seaspot Media Group and Seaspot.com was keynote speaker in Cleveland High School's 2008 MLK Celebration, as a part of the ongoing partnership between Seaspot Media Group and the Family Empowerment Institute. See the press release here.

-Silas Blak of the legendary Silent Lambs Project dropped a video this month for the song "Breathe Easy (Mind Click)," featuring Yirim Seck . The song is from Blak's solo album "Silas Sentinnel." Click Here to Purchase!

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/juliec206/blog#ixzz11mYbshT9