Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ahki James "TalkSick" Sullivan Passes

"James "TalkSick" Sullivan, 28, returned to the essence October 14, 2009 due to complication from the H1N1 virus. Proud to originally hail fom San Francisco's Hunter's Point neighborhood, he resided in Washington since 1988. A fierce lover, advocate, and defender of hiphop culture, TalkSick was a proud member of the Universal Zulu Nation's Seattle chapter who dedicated his time to community service. A recognizable, friendly, gregarious fixture at NW hiphop shows, TalkSick was also a reknowned hiphop historian with an exhaustive wealth of musical knowledge few could rival. An MC, show promoter, and blogger, TalkSick's favorite MCs of all time were Kool G Rap and KRS One, yet he held a particular affection for rap from his native Bay Area and from Seattle. He was also known for his big sense of humor, big thirst, and blunt, all-too-rare rare candor--and, on occasion, his own deep rhyme skills. Even bigger and deeper than all of that, as anyone who ever met TalkSick will attest, was his heart. His passing is a blow and deep sadness to the Seattle-area hiphop scene, but his life will forevermore be celebrated. Rest In Power, Ahki." -By Larry Mizell, Jr. and Ashley Goggins.

Note: It's been a year since your passing, and I wanted to revisit and say we love and miss you family. We're learning from you constantly, and you are always in your heart and thoughts.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center Hip Hop Summer Academy Schedule






Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center Hip Hop Summer Academy Daily Schedule 

Period 

Times 

Monday  

Tuesday 

Wednesday  

Thursday  

Friday 

1 

10:05am-11:35am 

Music Business 

Business & Entrepreneurship  

Music Business 

Business & Entrepreneurship 

Music Business 

2 

11:45am-1:15pm

Science of Flow 

Producers' Class 

Science of Flow 

Producers' Class 

Science of Flow 

Lunch 

1:20pm-2:20pm 

Lunch 

Lunch 

Lunch 

Lunch 

Lunch 

3 

2:25pm-3:55pm 

Civics, Politics, and Debate

Drama

Civics, Politics, and Debate

Drama

Civics, Politics, and Debate

4

4:05pm-5:35pm

Journalism

Music Literacy

Freestyle Period

Music Literacy

Freestyle Period

5

5:45pm-7:15pm

DJ Class

Video Production

Fashion 101

Video Production

DJ Class

July

Sun.  

Mon. 

Tues. 

Wed. 

Thurs. 

Fri. 

Sat. 

   

1

2

3

4

5

6

Classes Begins

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

HipHop Congress/

UPC Youth Showcase

30

HipHop Congress

Conference, all day workshops

31

Umojafest Children's Day/HHC Conference/

Youth Rally

 

August

Sun.  

Mon. 

Tues. 

Wed. 

Thurs. 

Fri. 

Sat. 

      

1 Umojafest/

Hip Hop Showcase

2

Umojafest/

Hip Hop Showcase

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Classes

End

29/30/31

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Hip Hop won't let the Malcolm X Message be Forgotten in Seattle

On Sunday, May 17th, 2009, the life and legacy of Malcolm X was commemorated in celebration of his 84th birthday at the first annual Malcolm X Day Hip-Hop Fest at Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center. The event, keynoted by former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and recently released activist Gerald Hankerson, was the only one in Martin Luther King Jr. County that honored the often misunderstood and misrepresented human rights leader. Almost 300 people from Seattle to Oakland and all points in between came out to get down with a healthy dose of education, entertainment, and political empowerment.This free, all-day, all-ages event featured speakers, workshops, food, live performances, networking, and children’s activities that lit up the corner of 24th Ave & Spring Street in Seattle’s Central District.


Malcolm X’s teachings provided the blueprint for three break-out work sessions that kicked the day off. Facilitators used his themes of community self-empowerment through education, positive service, and political and economic awareness to guide discussions on local issues such as youth violence prevention, media justice, the upcoming city and county elections. “Malcolm X provided invaluable jewels by letting us know: ‘We must understand the politics of our community and we must know what politics are supposed to produce,” said event visionary Wyking, “We must know what part politics play in our lives, and until we become politically mature, we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived .”

The education workshop, facilitated by Monika Mathews of the NIA center, focused community-based education including home schooling and learning centers with culturally relevant learning environments. The economics workshop, facilitated by Shamako Noble of the Hip Hop Congress and Khep Ra Ptah of the Got Green Project layed out a Hip-Hop cluster economic model that includes revenue streams from entertainment, education/youth programs and non-profit/community development sectors and also addressed the opportunities to participate in the Green Economy as a pathway out of poverty.
The politics workshop lead by Omari Tahir and Kenyatto Amen of the Hip Hop Coffee Shop framed politics as “decision making” and the theme was “either you’re at the table eating…or you are on the menu to be eaten.” Participants worked on practical strategies for improving political leverage in the community, and next steps, including canvassing the community, holding candidate forums so that candidates can speak directly to our issues, and running our own candidates to represent our interests.

Gerald Hankerson, highlighted the power of an organized voting bloc in close elections, a theme that Malcolm X spoke on in his famous “Ballot or The Bullet” speech. He also reminded the crowd that we can’t forget the members of our community that are still incarcerated and must create opportunities for them to be productive when they come back to the community namely access to housing and jobs. The keynote was given by former congresswoman and human rights advocate Cynthia McKinney. McKinney reported on her humanitarian aid trip to Gaza to deliver medical supplies in which her boat was attacked and nearly sunk by Israeli warships. She emphasized the importance of staying engaged in shaping our world, and that it can’t be taken on face value that people who may look like you will represent your interests.

Hip Hop artists from Seattle, Portland and the bay area came out to rep for Malcolm, healing and building the hood, including Lil T-Kid Maine One(Self Tightld), De.Ale of DMS fame, Maineak B of Stahi Bros, Jus Moni, Black Stax (Silent Lambs Project feat. Felicia Loud), M.Famous, Black Aries (Yirim Seck & LaRue), K.H.M.E.T., Thee Satisfaction, Razpy feat. Angel Mitchell, Shamako Noble, Ouwar Arunga, Seazonz (Oakland/Green For All) and even young Jah Jigga got up and represented for the children. Representatives from South Seattle Community College Black Student Union, Global Fam of Portland, Million Family Task Force of Portland, L.I.F.E. program (Tacoma), 206 Zulu, B-Girl Media, Hidmo, Block Teamsters Union, Common Ground, were present, and even mayoral candidate James Donaldson showed up too.


Photos for this article were pulled from the Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center Facebook Group. Click on the links below for video of the event edited by Notyer Average!

Malcolm X Hip Hop Conference Pt. 1
Malcolm X Hip Hop Conference Pt. 2
Malcolm X Hip Hop Conference Pt. 3
Malcolm X Hip Hop Conference Pt. 4

Monday, May 18, 2009

A Broken Network Can’t Pull it Together: Why our Youth are Killing Each Other

Hip Hop, if we’re serious about saving young lives, it will take more than a superficial “Stop the Violence” campaign. On a policy level, the fragmented approach to serving vulnerable youth is wrong. While cities and law enforcement, states, and school districts collaborate in the identification, tracking, and targeting of these youth (through free lunch programs, test scores, and gang databases), they have shown a consistent unwillingness to apply the same collaborative efforts toward providing real solutions. We cannot tell the youth “Stop the Violence,” while relying on these agencies to help and heal them, especially not while they are closing our schools, mismanaging our youth service funding, and building a new jail.

“They don’t care about kids of color; they don’t care about poor kids. They don’t care about anyone who’s different than somebody who makes $75,000 or more a year.” These were the words of NAACP Seattle President James Bible after being removed from a Seattle School District school closure hearing. View the rest of his impromptu speech on the video here. Mr. Bible’s frustration was shared by a packed room of others who challenged the sincerity and secrecy of Seattle’s recent school closure process in the midst of last year’s youth violence spike. While the district bureaucratically steered clear of accountability on the issue (they maintain they are separate from the police department and the city of Seattle), they also emphasized that the closure plan was developed based on feedback from the community.

It seems that the district either has an irresponsible disconnection from reality, or other interests to satisfy. We know that that the scores of wealthy white parents who fought against the closure of their schools had a hand in the outcome. But what about the Gates Foundation, who after postponing the renewal of grants to the district for 3.5 years, finally awarded 7.5 million after the closures were announced? This money, which could have kept the schools open and programs running at least for a while, will go to more ability tracking and testing.

Now let’s talk about the Mayor’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, which has also been shrouded in secrecy. The initiative allocates money to select NGOs to contract out services for youth without oversight or any specified benchmarks for tracking success. This approach is justified by a flimsy report of four model programs, but a brief inspection shows the data to be riddled with incomplete or inaccurate information. To top it off, the city has tasked the Urban League, little known for any actual work in the community, with helping to solidify its “network,” while keeping community leaders who are effectively active in the work out of the discussion. Ironically, the most critical network for violence prevention, one that places the school district, the city and law enforcement in a collective state of accountability for the safety for our children, is absent.

Unfortunately this disconnection is a convenience that youth don’t have. When the schools fail them from 9:00-3:00, and the youth initiative fails them from 3:00 to 10:00, the only thing that won’t fail is the new jail. The city is putting $110 million up for this project, plus committing another $15 mil a year for operation, which is quite an investment. Perhaps they are banking on their failure to our youth?

Whatever the case may be, it is time for us as Hip Hop artists, media producers, educators, and activists to step up, beyond the superficial message of “Stop the Violence.” We must unite, collectivize our skill sets and resources, and create an alternative solution: the seamless network, rooted in culture and community that our young people need to survive.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

It's Our Time: 2009 Hip Hop Congress National Conference in Seattle

This one’s for everyone in the network: friends, family, partners, fellow artists, affiliates, and leaders in the arts, media, activism, and youth service communities in Seattle, we need your participation:

In a press release that went out this week, Hip Hop Congress proudly announced its 2009 National Conference, themed “It’s Our Time” to be held in the historic Central District of Seattle, Washington, July 29th to August 1st. Click here to read the full release. Thanks to our extraordinary local and national partners, this year’s conference is positioned to make a lasting impact in the region and beyond, and we’re looking for more of you to join forces. For registration information click here. In this update about the work, you’ll find articles on the youth-lead Hip Hop summer school in the CD, a protest at the Urban League Village, the Hip Hop and Politics Movement, and more. But before that, get ready for a list of real live, real critical events you won’t want to miss in the next few weeks of May! Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center, Black Stax, B-Girl Media, Heidi Jackson Presents, and 206 Zulu have some exciting events rolling out, so get out your calendars, too. This is a personal invitation for all of you to attend, and there’s something for all of you next week:

* Sunday May 17th: In celebration of Malcolm X Day, the Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center will be hosting the “Malcolm X Day Hip-Hop Conference & Music Fest” at the UPC (located on 24th & Spring). Workshops based on the philosophies of the late human rights leader Malcolm X will begin at 10:00am and go until 1:00pm with special guest, former congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney giving the keynote address. Artists such as Shamako Noble (Hip-Hop Congress), Maineak B (Stahi Bros.), Thee Satisfaction, Wojack, Jus Moni, Delton Son, and many more will be performing. To check the poster by Zechariah Tha Barber, and to read more click here. Also, you can view footage from Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center's last event, Springfest. It's here, on Seattle Hip Hop's newest media maven, NYA's, blog.

* Friday May 22nd: Revolutionary poet, Ursula Rucker, and internationally acclaimed, producer/dj, King Britt, will make a special Seattle appearance at Chop Suey. Also appearing is Black Stax, the avant-garde of Hip Hop. The group combines the conscience, gritty and thought provoking lyrices of Silas Black and Jace ECAj, founder of Dope Emporium, featuring the powerfully soulful voice of lead singer Felicia Loud.

* Saturday May 23rd: Knox Family Record Release Party at Chop Suey featuring Black Stax, Black Aries (Yirim Seck and LaRue), and Rapzy and the Vigilantes! Knox Family is myself and Jerm of Alpha P, and B Girl.

* Sunday, May 24th: 206 Zulu is back at Folklife Festival for this year's Zulu Jam! Last year's first Zulu Jam at Folklife Festival was a great success with full capacity and energized crowd. This year's festivity will take place at the Seattle Center's Vera Project and features Silver Shadow D, Mic Crenshaw, Yirim Seck, Dim Mak, Hella Dope, DJ's Grimrock and Gumbeaux, and breakin' cyphers with Raw Action! This ALL-AGES event is FREE and is from 7-10pm!

Here's some Headlines:

* Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center will be making history by opening its Center for Hip Hop Culture, Business & Technology in the Central District of Seattle, Washington this summer, and we need YOUR SUPPORT! The center is the first of its kind that will serve community youth, particularly dropouts, high-risk youth and those under the criminal justice supervision. It will feature a digital recording studio, computer lab, video production studio and a library/reading room. The summer school at the Center for Hip Hop will coordinate culturally enriching entrepreneurial based activities to address social and community development through daily, open-door element and technology workshops, study sessions, and classes. An initial glimpse at the program schedule reveals DJ and producer clubs, Young Kings and Queens Leadership Development, and class titles that range from “Music History” to “Hood Politics”. Through launching a youth-led, community-centered approach to outreach, education, and violence prevention, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center is putting revolutionary social change theory to practice with Hip Hop Culture. 18 year old Imani Kang, the youth committee president of UPC, is development director for the summer school at the Center for Hip Hop Culture. As a drop out, she can’t tell you the benefits of a diploma, but she can quickly break down how the social construction of knowledge through dominant culture in traditional classrooms alienates youth today. Read the full article here.

* On Tuesday April 26th, Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League visited Seattle and attended a reception in his honor on the stolen grounds of the Urban League Village. Community members of all different ages and backgrounds, including leaders of Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center and Hip Hop Congress, participated in impromptu demonstrations and other forms of protest around Colman School all day to mark the occasion. They took to leaflets, posters, flyers, emails, megaphones, and picket signs to send a clear message to both the local and national branch of the Urban League: Get down or lay down. Click here to read more, and to see footage of the protest.

* Khingz releases new album “From Slaveships to Spaceships”: Gun violence. Drug abuse. Disillusionment. Self-hatred. Journey through the mastermind of Seattle-bred emcee Khingz with his highly-anticipated solo album- "From Slaveships to Spaceships", debuting Juneteenth, 2009 on Fresh Chopped Beats / MADK. "From Slaveships to Spaceships" is a testimony of transformation, a voyage through time and space, a continued search for freedom of mind. Khingz breathes life into art with his rapid spitfire delivery, heart-filled thought provoking lyrics and infectiously thriving beats provided by a wide array of producers. Read more on the 206 Zulu Website.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Using Hip Hop as Cultural Text for Emancipatory Education

Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center will be making history by opening its tentatively named Center for Hip Hop Culture, Business & Technology in the historic Central District of Seattle, Washington, this summer. While this community-owned and operated Hip Hop center is the first of its kind that will serve community youth, particularly dropouts, high-risk, and those under the criminal justice supervision, it is also a continuation of the historical struggle for an African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in the CD that reaches decades back. It will feature a digital recording studio, computer lab, video production studio and a library/reading room. The summer school at the Center for Hip Hop will coordinate culturally enriching, entrepreneurial-based activities to address social and community development through daily, open-door element and technology workshops, study sessions, and classes. An initial glimpse at the program schedule reveals DJ and producer clubs, Young Kings and Queens Leadership Development, and class titles that range from “Music History” to “Hood Politics”. Through launching a youth-led, community-centered approach to outreach, education, and violence prevention, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center is putting revolutionary social change theory to practice with Hip Hop Culture.

18 year old Imani Kang, the youth committee president of UPC, is development director for the summer school at the Center for Hip Hop Culture. As a drop out, she can’t tell you the benefits of a diploma, but she can quickly break down how the social construction of knowledge through dominant culture in traditional classrooms alienates youth today. “Freshman year, I attended all my classes in the beginning, but felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again. I went to Job Corp to get my GED, and during those classes, I asked myself how relevant is this? We’re taking the same classes from 4th grade to now. I took the test, and the test is so easy, and I started asking myself, is this is all I have to do to be complete? What are they really doing to us? What are you guys really teaching me?”

Her critical reflection on oppressive education systems continued to develop through watching many of her friends get driven away from school by boredom, or from being penalized for challenging what and how things were being taught up, and give up altogether. “I know kids who dropped out and haven’t gotten their GED, haven’t done anything but kick it, sometimes work, but a lot of the time, they just stop because they think that school is the only option for learning,” Imani says. “The ones who ended up pursuing something after dropping out, it’s because they find something that they’re interested in, something that keeps them there. Some aren’t fortunate to find that. The Hip Hop Center will be one more way to get one more person there.”

Assuming the agency to reinvent education through Hip Hop culture is a powerful and strategic move toward self empowerment for today’s youth, especially for those who’ve inherently rejected the role of being passive objects in the school enterprise. “School is a closed box, they teach only what they want you to know, like closing one eye on one side. Our school is resistance to that because we want wanna keep both eyes open, we want to see everything. Our idea is for these classes to be open conversations, collaborative ideas, rather than having students be sitting and watching. We have so many volunteers and special guests that are already lined up; it’s exciting,” says Imani with a smile. For more information on how to get involved, or to show your support, email Imani Kang at mani.sue@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Malcolm X Day Hip Hop Conference and Music Fest in May 17th

The UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center (UPC) located in the heart of the historic Central District (24th & Spring), is Seattle’s first “Green Hip-Hop Youth Center”, built by the people to serve the youth and community. The UPC acts as not only a centralized home base for Peace in the CD but also as a beacon of “Hope in Action” in the community. Dedicated to answering President Obama’s call to service, the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center has brought together people of all walks of life (ages, ethnic backgrounds, etc.) united for one common cause of creating a place for youth to increase the peace.

In light of the recent gang violence and gentrification, the facility will include a Youth Violence Memorial & Organic Garden, audio recording and video production studios, office space for community organizations and an outdoor stage. The Green Light Initiative of the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center will focus on promoting eco-equity, increasing awareness of sustainable living, environmental stewardship principles and engaging disenfranchised communities in the developing green economy.

So far, the UPC has produced several events including the “We Are Change Youth & Community Forums” and the “Seattle/NW Hip-Hop Leadership Conference”, bringing in speakers such as Dr. Sujan “Supreme Understanding” Dass, author of “How to Hustle and Win: A Survival Guide to the Ghetto”. The Hip-Hop community has also fervently supported the UPC, with vocal support from M1 of dead.prez, Mos Def and One Be Lo.

The UPC has also hosted national dignitaries such as Cynthia McKinney (keynote speaker for the Malcolm X Day Conference) who facilitated a Community Organizing workshop during her campaign for presidency in 2008. An UmojaFest Stars Baseball Team has also been created to provide recreational activities that the community desperately needs to provide an alternative for youth in the streets.

In celebration of Malcolm X Day, the UPC will be hosting the “Malcolm X Day Hip-Hop Conference & Music Fest” on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at the UPC (located on 24th & Spring). Workshops based on the philosophies of the late human rights leader Malcolm X will begin at 10:00am and go until 1:00pm with special guest, former congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney giving the keynote address. Local artists such as Shamako Noble (Hip-Hop Congress), Maineak B (Stahi Bros.), Thee Satisfaction, Jus Moni, Delton Son, and many more will be performing.

Please come join us, celebrate, and help serve our community! As a completely voluntary organization, we accept any form of donations be it in the form of money, supplies, or volunteer service. Your involvement and dedication is vital for community self-sufficiency. For more information, please visit: www.UmojaFestPeaceCenter.com

Monday, April 13, 2009

Seattle Hip Hop Spring Fest & Green Organizers Mixer


Green Organizers Mixer & Spring Hip-Hop Fest Saturday, April 18th at the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center

The Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center's Green Light Initiative and the Race, Justice and Sustainability Project of Sustainable Central District and Sustainable South Seattle invite you and your organization to:

Justice Brunch! Green Organizers Mixer & Spring Hip-Hop Fest Saturday April 18th at the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center at 24th & Spring in Seattle.

The brunch will take place from 10am – Noon followed by a community celebration of Earth Week featuring live performances, speakers and community organization tables and vendors from Noon – 6PM.

Scheduled performers include Yirim Seck, KHMET, Razpy & The Vigilantes, Ayron Jones the Bluesman, Geneiva Arunga, Suntonio Bandanaz, Korvus Blackbird, Jamil Suleman, M. Famous, Garlandn Green, and other guest performers with music provided by DJ Kuhnex and Zecheriah the Barber and hosted by Wyking & G. Prez.

In celebration of Earth Week, this event is a networking opportunity for groups involved in environmental, sustainability, and justice work to meet, build relationships, and thereby expand the reach of our projects. All brunch participants will be provided tables to stay and share information about their programs.

Confirmed participants include: Seattle Pea Patch, Got Green, Clean Greens Project, Pursuit Of A Green Planet, African American Longshoremans Coalition, Life Enrichment Group, Hip-Hop Congress, Mothers Outreach Movement, Block Teamsters Union, Presidential Media Group, Mint Factory Clothing, The Nia Center, United For Youth Coalition, Association for Africentric Development, Feed The Body Teach The Soul and more.

Saturday, April 18th
10AM – 6pm
Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center
2314 E. Spring St. (24th Ave & Spring St.)
Seattle, WA 98122

Potluck BBQ (No pork or soda please!).

PLEASE RSVP if you are able to bring something, volunteer or just coming to green@umojafestpeacecenter.com. The brunch has limited space. We look forward to seeing you!

The Green Light Initiative at the Umojafest PEACE Center focuses on the sustainability concerns that offer opportunities for our community to thrive. The group strives to make the resources of the green movement accessible and applicable while reclaiming our historical legacy of healthy and environmentally conscious living. Chair: Amber Croyle, green@umojafestpeacecenter.com.

The Race, Justice and Sustainability Project is an effort by Sustainable Central District and Sustainable South Seattle to build an action agenda at the intersection of justice and sustainability. Please click this link to fill out our brief questionnaire to share your experience and knowledge. Sustainable South Seattle and Sustainable Central District are volunteer-run community groups working to promote sustainability in our neighborhoods through project-based community engagement. For more information contact: Deric Gruen, Deric.Gruen@gmail.com.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Early April Seattle Hip Hop News


Peace- I'm Julie C, Northwest Regional Director and Editor in Chief for an organization called Hip Hop Congress. We are a national 501(c3) non profit with the mission to provide the Hip Hop Generation and post Hip Hop Generation with the tools, resources, and network to create social, economic, and political change in their communities. Our key partners in this region include such Hip Hop artist, activist, and cultural organizations as 206 Zulu, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center, B Girl Bench, Global Fam, and others. We have 80 campus/community hubs across the country. We supplement and support the work of our campus chapters, partner businesses, youth service organizations, and media justice/independent media production groups through consultations, event organizing, trainings, youth programs, advocacy, social media strategy and/or just getting the word out the old fashion way.

You can be added to the Northwest Hip Hop Congress mailing list. I manage this list personally, and keep traffic very low, down to only one email a week, if that. What you will receive is consolidated updates on us and our partner's activities in this region, along with opportunities to plug into this movement. I hope you stick around, get a chance to read, and respond to some of the youth, artist and grassroots lead efforts happening in the area. If you have any questions, email me directly at juliec@hiphopcongress.com, or you can call me by phone at (425) 223-7787. Thank you and welcome! Enjoy the updates below.
-Julie C


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We start our update this time giving it up to an important member of the Seattle Hip Hop community, Gregory "GCL1" Lewis, and his new book. Gregory “GCL1” Lewis is an often under-utilized and underappreciated link between Seattle’s Hip Hop community and its movement potential. He plays a central role as a Shaka (security) for 206 Zulu and un-official advisor to many artists and activists in the Seattle area. He is also a martial arts instructor, soon to be competing in the 8th Annual Kyokushin Challenge April 18th in Bellevue, Washington at Eastside Christian School. Recently, a collection of his work from the late 1990’s was selected, translated to German, and published in a book by Gabriel of the Anarchist Publishing House in Hamburg. When GCL1 dropped through and showed me the book a few weeks ago, I wanted to take the opportunity to get some of his words down, and pass on some Seattle history to some of us younger folks. View and share the full article HERE!

Next theme we got is independent media, so let's start with a party. Coolout Network has been as a Seattle Hip Hop independent media institution for 18 years strong, and the following video by Coolout TV fan and notable videographer on his own right, Scott Macklin, is footage from the Coolout TV 18th Anniversary Celebration. It features Orbitron and Yze, Draze, Silver Shadow D performing with his son Keith, Gabriel Teodros, Sinsemilla, Lady Tazs, Glo Medina, and more! Sadly, as the video indicates, Scott’s camera fell casualty in the process of documenting the night. but rest assured that even at his own birthday and anniversary event, Mr. Georgio Brown was wielding his camera like a Samurai sword in battle, capturing every minute of the festivities. Be on the lookout for that!

Also, speaking of independent media and anniversaries, Reel to Real: Seattle's 1st Hip Hop Film Festival which went down during the 206 Zulu 5th Anniversary celebration, has inspired a "Hip Hop 'Mini-festival" at Langston Hughes African American Film Fest! They will be rescreening three of the movies from Real to Reel: B-Girl Be - A documentary that takes you inside the all female, all Hip Hop weekend at Intermedia Arts Center in Minneapolis, Who is 206 Zulu? - by Georgio Brown, and Masizakhe by Scott and Angela Macklin of Open Hand Reel. If you missed it the first time, or just need more, don't sleep! For 2009 Langston Hughes Black Film Fest Schedule Information, click here.

In keeping with the media vein, check these musings I rattled off in "A New Era in Hip Hop Cultural Production: What the collapse of the music industry means for artists." It was recently published in the April Issue of the People's Tribune, a Chicago newspaper with national distribution, along with articles from other Hip Hop Congress partners from across the country in a two page spread. Anyone who wants a paper or a stack, I have 200 copies at my house, so give me a call (this issues mentions include Suntonio Bandanaz, Hidmo, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center, and more! HHC will have regular access to these pages and hopefully more in the future, so please send any articles on Hip Hop organizing and political action my way. Those interested in being involved with the Hip Hop Congress media coalition, please reply this email and hit me up as well. We're in the planning and development stages.

Hip Hop Congress is also planning to optimize it's network and coalition growth potential for the Northwest at its 2009 Annual Conference to take place in Seattle, Washington from July 29th to August 2nd, in partnership with Umojafest, Universal Zulu Nation, and Dope Emporium, so it's a critical time to reach out and get down right now! Meetings will be commencing with key partners as soon as next week!

-----------------The Bullet Point News-----------------

* Knox Family is performing this Sunday April 12th at the High Dive, 513 N 36th St, Seattle, WA! Come see me rap, too.

* The following Saturday, April 18th, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center is hosting "Union Spring Fest," block party style from noon to night, on the corner of 24st and Spring St in the heart of Seattle's Central District, with DJ's OMG and Kuhnex, and performances from Yirim Seck, Rapzy and the Vigilantes (young HEAT in the town, if you don't know, now you know), Geneiva Arunga, and more. Come and celebrate the development of Seattle's very first autonomous Hip Hop youth service and community organizing center in history!

* Speaking of Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center, co-founder Wyking's presentation at "Keeping it Real, Keeping it Green" a Green Festival panel of the role of Hip Hop organizing in the green movement was met with great enthusiasm, so look out for footage on the event soon. Find out more about the Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center's green initiatives at the website, and come through to Sunday meetings at 4:00 to find out how to plug in.

* Hip Hop Congress in Seattle is teaming up with other community groups to support the MAJOR May 30th March for Healthcare this year that will start at 12:30pm at Pratt Park in the Central District. "Welcome to the website for Washington State's largest Health Care Rally EVER. We're gearing up with over 40 organizations (and growing every day) to build the largest ever grassroots mobilization pushing for health care for all and fighting for to win ! " Read more at the link above. Thanks Sunny!

* Thank everyone for their heartfelt reactions to the Hip Hop and Domestic Violence article. I got comments and contributions from women (and a few men) from all across the country. I am so overwhelmed by what everyone had to say either on facebook, email, by phone, or face to face in response, and what everyone is doing in their communitites, there's got to be some next steps on this! I will follow up with each of you soon.

* Much love to members of the BAYAN Regional organizations, PINAY SA SEATTLE and ANAKBAYAN along with other solidarity organizations who recently got back from repping the Northwest at the 3rd Congress of BAYAN-USA and the founding and first assembly of GABRIELA-USA in Los Angeles. We applaud your work in solidarity with the universal struggle for human rights.

* Hip Hop Congress National Partner the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and HHC's Kentucky spearhead Women in Transition were featured in a New York Times article entitled "With Advocates' Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home".

* Toni Hill's new album, "Only Love" is now available for download on iTunes, as well as Amazon, eMusic, Media-Net and Napster. Physical copies are available at Sonic Boom on Capitol Hill and Silver Platters in Queen Anne and Northgate. Check Toni's new video "Rose" on Youtube.

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Okay, although that's far from all, I'll leave you all here for now.

Stay in touch.

Friday, April 10, 2009

A New Era in Hip Hop Cultural Production: What the collapse of the music industry means for artists.

The Hip Hop artist base hasn’t stopped exponentially growing since the inception of Hip Hop culture. Even as the corporate industry fragmented and com-modified Hip Hop’s artistic practices for economic gain, our numbers grew. When consolidated media misrepresented and defamed our name and value, they grew still. As we learned to navigate the information age, we developed ways to get around every barrier thrown in our paths. As we matured, we started teaching classes, running youth programs, and doing element workshops all over the globe, laying down the blueprint for a whole next generation of Hip Hop cultural producers we are now responsible for. In the era of Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Internet radio and digital downloads, this burgeoning artists base is now not only intrinsically connected by its interests and practices, it is intricately networked, and rapidly developing a powerful collective consciousness.

As the music industry continues to struggle for life, the majority of Hip Hop’s artist base (those of us who rely on a day job or side hustle to sustain our creative endeavors) stand at its deathbed like battered children, mourning an extremely abusive parent. Some of us harbor denial, anger, and regret, others are confused or indifferent. But what we should be clear on now is one thing: the strength of one’s network and one’s ability to maneuver it determines the amount of resources at one’s disposal, and this simple truth leaves us with quite an inheritance if we’re clear.

As independent Hip Hop artists, we’ve learned to navigate around the corporate industry by gaining a wide range of skill sets in a number of overlapping sectors including technology, communications, education, social entrepreneurship, and more. We are an army of highly skilled soldiers, with the ability to develop community-owned alternatives to Sound Exchange, coalitions of Hip Hop broadcasters, media producers, and journalists, teaching hip hop artist unions that advocate for fair wages and healthcare. We have the capacity to really change the game. But for this to work, we gotta cut off life support to the old industry model, and move on. We have to go from asking, “How do I get a break in the industry?” to asking “How do we create a situation where the most deserving (in terms of skill, grind, and contribution) independent artists can get the maximum profits for what they do (be it shows, sales, panels, workshops, whatever) at any given time?” We have to change how we shape our organizations, record labels, businesses, and how they relate to each other as well as changing how our artist selves interact with our day job selves inside our own mental paradigms.

We also have to recognize that the industry’s death and our survival as artists is not a passive process, it’s a battle front. As legislation on internet broadcasting, royalty collection, and online music sales continues to pass through Congress, the corporate industry, like a zombie, attempts to infect and control the policy shifts through groups like the RIAA and Sound Exchange. While this is going on, DC-based advocacy organizations that originally popped up to oppose this corporate agenda have developed their own interests to protect. These get tied into the nonprofit industry that has sprung up around the media reform foundation base and the new hip hop foundation base, and the mess that results is a matrix that sucks in and eats artists and activists, leaving confusion or indifference in its wake. Sun Tzu said a confused army always loses. In the case of Hip Hop artists, our confusion leads to crabs in a barrel, reinvention and/or spinning of our wheels, or simple ye’ old community fragmentation. We can’t afford any of that anymore. Now is the time to pull the plug, kill the noise, and organize the movement.

Seattle Hip Hop's Minister of Information: Gregory "GCL1" Lewis

Gregory “GCL1” Lewis is an often under-utilized and underappreciated link between Seattle’s Hip Hop community and its movement potential. He plays a central role as a Shaka (security) for 206 Zulu and un-official advisor to many artists and activists in the Seattle area. He is also a martial arts instructor, soon to be competing in the 8th Annual Kyokushin Challenge April 18th in Bellevue, Washington at Eastside Christian School.

Recently, a collection of his work from the late 1990’s was selected, translated to German, and published in a book by Gabriel of the Anarchist Publishing House in Hamburg. When GCL1 dropped through and showed me the book a few weeks ago, I wanted to take the opportunity to get some of his words down, and pass on some Seattle history to some of us younger folks.

These writings were taken from Black Autonomy, a national paper with roughly 1-2,000 distribution. Black Autonomy, initiated by Lorenzo Komboa Ervin, a former Black Panther, former SNCC member, political prisoner, and author of Anarchism and the Black Revolution, began as a joint project of activists from New York, the Bay Area, Detroit, Seattle, and D.C, to report back on community actions and put forward a new revolutionary agenda. “The message we all wanted to convey was that Black people are fighting back and that real leadership is either collective or by example. You can’t wait for a messiah to come and save you,” says GCL1, who put up the money and launched it out of Seattle in 1993. It was published every two months, but after four years, contributors fell off, and feeling like the paper wasn’t reaching the audience it needed to reach, GCL1 finally stopped bearing the financial burden.


(Photo: GCL1 helping emcee Sista Hailstorm "kick" her smoking habit at a demonstration)


“The first time I got involved with Hip hop was 1983, I was in middle school, the scene at that time was violently competitive, so I stepped back, got involved with the metal and grunge rock scenes for a while,” recalled GCL1, who got into activism and movement work in the early 90s because of several factors. “ ‘92 was a big year for direct action against reactionaries and the state,” GCL1 remembers with a laugh. “I moved to the University District, which had a large and highly politicized homeless youth population at the time. They were protesting Mark Sidran(former city attorney for Seattle) and taking over vacant buildings, and I got in with them.” It was there that he learned about Marxism, anarchism, and other various national liberation movement ideologies. In addition, the original George Bush was invading Iraq, and Seattle was seeing some of its biggest protests since the early seventies, including one that blocked freeway traffic on Interstate 5. The city also experienced two nights of Rodney King related burning and expropriation in the downtown business district and on Broadway. “We marched from City Hall up Pike by Seattle Central chanting ‘Wait ‘till Dark!’ As the sun set, the first burning dumpster was pulled out into the middle of Broadway. It was ‘on’ after that,” he recalled.

Neo-nazis were attacking homeless kids, people of color, and gay people. “On Christmas eve of ‘92 Nazis stabbed a Black man on a metro bus on the Ave. We marched from University Heights to an abandoned building behind Dick’s on Broadway the nazis occupying and using as a base to sell heroin and recruit members. Armed with sticks, baseball bats, knives, and brass knuckles, we went into their house, and started going to town on them. My favorite moment was when the Crips and other hood cats came out with tire irons and their fists to fight along side us. The nazis cleared that spot out quickly.”

GCL1 also did prisoner support work for Mark Cook, a member of the George Jackson Brigade, an armed anti-imperialist group that were active from 1970 to 1979, and founder of the Black Panther Party chapter at Walla Walla State Penitentiary. GCL1 was also a co-founder of the Seattle Mumia Defense Committee and Seattle Leonard Peltier Support Committee.

GCL1 drifted back into the Hip Hop scene in the early 90’s, during the tail end of the Golden Era. “I met Specs One, Silver Shadow D, Merciful, Jace and the 4th Party, Amilcar Navarro from Union Of Opposites, and many others,” said GCL1, who had just turned 21, became a bouncer, and was coming to know and admire the work of many local artists in the scene. “In ’93 I met Merciful at Seattle Central and he turned me on to the struggle for Coleman School and the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in the Central District. Through Merc, I met Omari, Wyking and others who gave me more education on Nation of Islam, the 5% , the Black Liberation Movement, etc. Merc introduced me to most of the Hip Hop community.”

GCL1 attempted to get activists from the North End involved with the struggle in the Central District, but was often met with indifference or outright hostility. It seemed to GCL1 that although the white activists would go to various church congregations seeking support from the Black community for their agenda, they didn’t want to see Black people with real institutionalized power and therefore would not support a Black-led organization or its agenda.

GCL1 turned his energy to co-founding Copwatch 206 with dRED.i’s Merciful, being active in the AAHMCC struggle as a board member, participating in the WTO protests as a member of the Seattle IWW, and emerging victoriously from both a physical and legal altercation with the Seattle Police Department and the City of Seattle in which he used his karate skills to save his own life from a murder attempt at the hands of a police officer.

“Seattle Hip Hop connected me to people of all walks of life, made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself,” says GCL1, “Hip Hop is a lot more fun than the chore of activism; a lot of the people in the ‘movement’ are unpleasant people, unhealthy, negative, and cynical; Hip Hop is generally more outgoing and hopeful, and social. Hip Hop is going to teach the activists how to relate better to the people. It is up to the activists teach the Hip Hop heads how to be more disciplined, organized, and analytical. Hip Hop also provides the soundtrack to the revolution.” (Photo GCL1, left, with King Khazm, Chapterhead of 206 Zulu)

But GCL1 also has his frustrations with the community. “In Hip Hop, I see a lot of people saying one thing and doing another, not following through on what they say, and treating others like pawns. The big lesson is that the people you meet on the way up are the same people you meet on the way down. Treat everyone with respect, and if they aren’t worthy of respect, take them off the planet. If you’re not willing to do that, then you must respect them. You don’t have to like someone to respect them. How is it we can hold our nose and deal with people we don’t like at our day jobs, but we can’t learn to work with people we may not like within the Hip Hop scene?”

When I prodded him to apply some of the organization and leadership theories from his book to Hip Hop organizing, he responded, “Hip hop is currently not organizing for revolution, it’s organizing for reform. They don’t want to transform the world; most are only interested in transforming their own individual economic situation. People keep doing things to replicate and reinforce the current political system of capitalism and white supremacy. The currently accelerated collapse of the capitalist economic system is the best thing that can happen for revolutionary progress, yet most fear the final outcome of this. We must be the ones to shape the final outcome!”
(Artwork by Daniel Strzelczyk)

On the role of hip-hop activists operating in the community, he said, “What really separates us from the Masons, the Boulé, Skull and Bones, and all these secret society types is being upfront about who you are, your agenda, and what you do. Anything else is rank opportunism and deception of the worst kind.” GCL1 continued, “There’s always a hierarchy of knowledge. Nothing is unknown, people are just unaware, indifferent, or unable to synthesize and move forward with the information they have. Those of us who know have a responsibility to teach those who do not know.”

For GCL1, the intersection between Hip Hop and movement work is not just the message in the music, it’s his community and his life. “I don’t do activism ‘cause I enjoy it, I’ve never enjoyed it, I do it because I know it’s needed and necessary. If I don’t do something the universe will punish me. That’s not just a belief, I’ve seen it happen. Indeed, it’s happening now.”

For more, check these articles GCL1 on Illvox.org:
"Session Notes: Self-Defense"
"Mythology of the White-Led “Vanguard”: A Critical Look at the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA"
"Use No Way As A Way: An Interview with Gregory Lewis"

Friday, March 20, 2009

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.