The True School Park Jam Series is becoming one of my favorite video documentaries around. This is a trailer for the upcoming episode which will feature Afrika Bambaataa, Kool DJ Red Alert, and The Original Jazzy Jay reuniting on the wheels of steel for the first time in over 25 years. If you like this, check out the last episode featuring Biz Markie and Kid Capri.

Big ups to Mark Carranceja and Noisemaker Media for sending this video over. This is their most recent episode of The True School Park Jam Series featuring Biz Markie and Kid Capri.

One of the things I love about New York City’s underground hip-hop scene is that it extends beyond music and into community. In fact, most of the local hip-hop artists I know are teachers, educators, mentors or involved in the community in some form or fashion. This is best illustrated through Urban Art Beat, a music and art based workshop directed at under-served youth in NYC. Above is a video about Urban Art Beat.

Super big ups for the homie BeatRoot for sending this over. I ain’t gonna lie though, when I saw that dude had just sent me a mixtape from some French hip-hop artists, I chuckled a little. But once I actually listened to the album, I realized that these cats got skillz. Fantastic Planet is a French hip-hop group who apparently teamed up with some U.S. emcees and turntablists to create this mixtape. Click below to download Fantastic Planet’s “Fantastic JJ Project” mixtape for FREE:

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Distrakt is one of my favorite underground emcees. Recently, he’s been doing a lot of work with Sedgwick and Cedar. This video walks you through his newest creation, a FREE downloadable interactive study of the history of hip-hop. Dope and educational.

With President Obama pushing to create millions of new “green-collar” jobs, being eco-conscious might not just be a good idea, it may become a lucrative one as well. But buying organic, starting your own garden and living the sustainable life can be expensive, and for many people, it might feel as though the green movement is a nice but unavailable crusade that has all but passed them by.

“While certain parts of the Bay Area are very eco-conscious, for people in some parts of the city, like Bayview-Hunters Point, they just don’t have access to some of the resources, the technology or information that would allow them to live in an ecologically conscious, self-sustaining way,” says Ambessa Cantave, who with wife Zakiya Harris founded Grind for the Green in 2007, an organization dedicated to bringing ideas on how young people can shape a green future for themselves and practical resources for sustainable living to underserved communities.

This Saturday, Grind for the Green kicks off the SF Youth Commission’s 2009 Youth Fest with a special Eco-Music Conference for young people 14-24 years old, at which Cantave and Harris hope to use the socially conscious messages of hip-hop as a way of introducing young people to the idea of living green. For the daylong event, San Francisco State’s downtown campus, located in the Westfield mall, will become what Cantave calls a mini green sphere of information, exhibits and walk-through activities. There will be all-organic food – served in compostable packaging – that you can munch on while taking in live hip-hop performances. Producer and San Francisco State University faculty Gian Fiero will share his insights about breaking into the music industry, but true hip-hop devotees will want to hear the keynote speech from M-1 – of the intense and socially conscious underground hip-hop group Dead Prez – all on sound systems and audio gear powered in real time by volunteers pedaling away on generators on loan from Rock the Bike.

“We want to bring youth into the epicenter of the sustainability movement,” says Cantave. “Hopefully this event will empower them by giving them the tools, giving them the information they need but don’t have widespread access to. We want them to understand why sustainability is important to their lives.”

After the conference, head on down to the Civic Center Plaza, where Youth Fest 2009 continues from noon to 6 p.m. with performances featuring homegrown hip-hop talents from Oakland’s Latino quartet Brwn Bflo to smooth and soulful San Francisco artist Melina Jones. And if you can’t make the conference, Grind for the Green will be back later this summer with a beat battle on Aug. 15 at Zeum and a free outdoor, solar-powered concert at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on Aug. 30 at noon.

Source:
The San Francisco Chronicle

The Maqusi Towers in Gaza City look a bit like US housing projects. The neighborhood consists of several tall apartment buildings grouped together in the northern part of town. It is also ground zero for Gaza’s growing Hip-Hop community. On a recent evening in one small but well-decorated apartment, a dozen rappers and their friends and families relaxed, danced, smoked flavored tobacco, and rapped the lyrics to some of their songs.

The occasion was a post-show celebration of the taping of Hip Hop Kom, an American Idol-type talent competition for Palestinian rappers. Fifteen acts from across Palestine performed on Thursday night, and the show was broadcast simultaneously in Gaza City and the West Bank city of Ramallah. Through the use of video conferencing and projection, each city could see and hear the performances happening in the other. Five groups from Gaza participated, and Gazawians came in first, third, and fourth place.

The Gaza City show was held in a small theatre in the Palestine Red Crescent building. Although only publicized by word of mouth, nearly 200 young people filled the theatre, loudly cheering for the rappers and breakdance crew who took the stage.

One of the organizers of the contest, a charismatic literature major named Ayman Meghames, is a minor celebrity here. Part of Gaza’s first Hip-Hop group — named PR: Palestinian Rapperz — Ayman dedicates his time to supporting and publicizing Gaza’s young music scene.

Armed with a ready smile, Ayman was seemingly everywhere at once that night. He was on stage introducing the acts, helping with technical difficulties, greeting friends, and coordinating with the West Bank organizers.

For Ayman, making music is a form of resistance to war and occupation, and also a tool to communicate the reality of life in Palestine. “Most of our lyrics are about the occupation,” he tells me. “Lately we’ve also started singing about the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. Any problem, it needs to be written about.” Rapper Chuck D, from the group Public Enemy, once called rap music the CNN for Black America. For Ayman and his friends, music is their weapon to break media silence. “Most of the world believes we are the terrorists,” he says. “And the media is closed to us, so we get our message out through Hip-Hop.”

One of the first acts to take the stage was a duo called Black Unit Band. Mohammed Wafy, one of the two singers, displays the innocent charm of a teen pop star as he jumps from the stage and into the audience. Tall and skinny with a shock of black hair, Mohammed is 18 and looks younger. Khaled Harara, the other singer (and Mohammed’s next door neighbor) is a few years older and several pounds heavier, but no less energetic on stage.

As the evening progressed, the energy in the room continued to rise. The next act featured six members from two combined groups (DA MCs, and RG, for Revolutionary Guys) now collectively called DARG Team. The crowd was up on their feet, many of them singing along as the performers displayed a range of lyrical stylings.

In Mohammed Wafy’s apartment, the perfomers waited anxiously for the results of the contest. The call came in on Ayman’s cel phone. Putting it on speaker, everyone listened as the results were announced: DARG team had come in first place, and Black Unit had placed third. There were no hurt feelings apparent for those that didn’t win — for these young performers, every victory is a shared victory. DARG members will now go on to Denmark to produce an album (if they can get out of Gaza).

Fadi Bakhet, a studious and slightly preppy looking Afro-Palestinian in wire-rimmed glasses, is DARG’s manager, and also the brother of one of the members. As the night continued, the gathering moved to his apartment. They celebrated the successful show, which also fell on the last day of exams for many students, and the laughing and conversation continued late into the night. The next day was hot and sunny, and thousands of Gazawians gathered on the beach to swim and relax by the Mediterranean.

These stories may seem incongruent with much of the international reporting about Gaza and the Hamas government. But it is exactly for this reason that they should be told.

If you follow the reporting on Palestine in the US media, you may imagine a fundamentalist state. Hamas-stan, as at least one Israeli commentator has called it. You may imagine a nation of terrorists, where women are oppressed and men launch rockets. But perhaps when we learn that Palestinian families swim on Friday afternoons, that they study literature in the day and rap about imprisoned friends at night, we can rethink the US’ unquestioning support for Israeli aggression against this almost entirely defenseless population.

Yesterday, I visited a journalism class at the Islamic University, taught by Rami Almeghari. The students had many questions, but one young woman’s words in particular stayed with me. “What can we do to reach people in America and tell them how things really are here,” she asked. “How can we get them to listen, and to see?”

Source:
Article written by Jordan Flaherty for Dissident Voice

Dallas, TX – Healthcare remains a critical national issue yet first it is a personal one that requires an individual to be proactive. This July that issue of being proactive takes center stage as Rickey Smiley, Mayor Pro-Tem Dwaine Caraway, KBFB 97.9 The Beat, The City of Dallas and The MLK, Jr. Family Clinic launch their awareness initiative throughout the Metroplex with an annual event to educate the community on the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. The Second Annual Hip Hop for HIV concert will take place on July 12 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Palladium Ballroom.

Knowing your status and “testing for tickets” is the core initiative of this annual event specifically for the age group between 15 to 30 years of age. “Testing for tickets” allows those tested to know their status, be further educated on the disease and more importantly better informed on the social and medical services available to treat those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS locally, regionally and nationally.

Testing sites will be designated throughout the DFW Metroplex as Rickey Smiley, Mayor Pro-Tem Dwaine Caraway, KBFB 97.9 The Beat, The City of Dallas and the MLK, Jr. Family Clinic will collaborate with several community based organizations to begin confidential testing from June 12, 2009 to July 10, 2009. Anyone tested will receive One FREE Ticket to gain entry into the concert.

More than 1.2 million people live with HIV/AIDS and the most impact continues to be prevalent in the African American and Hispanic communities. In the third quarter of 2008, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Dallas reported 402 new HIV cases and 366 new AIDS cases with 43% African American and 29% Hispanic. Globally more than 16 million people have died of AIDS and more than 16,000 people become newly infected each day.

The concert will feature international, national and local Hip Hop artists. During their performances these artists will further facilitate on the importance of being proactive, knowing your status and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

For additional information contact Stephen Red Delasbour or Stephanie Nash @ 972-331-5400 or Log on to www.979thebeat.com.

Source:
Pegasus News

The United Nations has launched a trust fund to build a permanent memorial for victims of slavery, and appointed entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons as a Goodwill Ambassador to promote the project.

A 2007 General Assembly resolution designated 25 March as an annual day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and called for a permanent memorial to be erected at UN Headquarters to acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy of slavery.

“We hope to encourage broad study of the causes and lessons of the 400-year slave trade. We want to mobilize educational institutions and civil society to discuss the threat of intolerance from which no society is immune,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message to the launch ceremony, read out by Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka.

Mr. Simmons told reporters his role would be to increase awareness, especially among young persons, of the history of slavery, its lasting impact, and current slavery issues.

“It’s humbling to be invited to join the UN community in this role as Goodwill Ambassador. In recognizing the past, we understand the stakes in ensuring that something as devastating to the human condition as the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade will never happen again,” he said.

“My life’s commitment is to be of service to the empowerment of young people living in struggle, who undoubtedly have been effected by this legacy.”

The memorial, projected to cost $3.5 million, is expected to be completed by 2012.

Source:
UN News Center

New Haven, CT – When Edo. G told hundreds of teenagers to respect the police, there were some audible snickers. Then he started rapping. Pretty soon the auditorium full of high-school students was on their feet with hands in the air, nodding their heads to as he preached nonviolence.

Hip-hop artist Edo. G, known offstage as Ed Anderson, performed at Yale on Wednesday along with another members of the Boston-based rap group, 4Peace. High school students from six southern Connecticut towns — including several New Haven high schools — filled Yale’s Woolsey Hall to hear Edo.G and his partner Twice Thou, a.k.a. Antonio Ennis. Through video, music, and questions and answers, the pair of rappers sent a message: stay away from guns and violence, or end up in jail.

Before giving the first-ever hip hop concert at Woolsey Hall, Edo.G and Twice Thou cleared up some misconceptions about police operations and criminal justice. They let a Hillhouse High student know, for instance, that putting a sawed-off shotgun in a locked trunk does not put it out of the reach of cops searching a car.

Wednesday’s concert (click on the play arrow at top for highlights) also provided an opportunity for three local teenage rappers to perform rhymes they created for the occasion. The three were finalists in the “Rap 4 Justice” contest, which challenged high school students to create songs that addressed a social justice theme.

The event was organized by Yale University and the U.S. Attorney’s office. In the words of one of the organizers, Yale music professor Tom Duffy, “we want crime and violence out of our cities and off of our streets.” He enlisted Edo.G and Twice Thou (pictured, right and left) — two rappers with tattoos, baggy jeans, and gold chains — to send that message in a form that it would be respected by teenagers.

School buses were lined up on College Street on Wednesday morning, dropping off students from New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Willimantic, and Waterbury. Peppering the audience of students and teachers were police officers from each town.

The concert began at 10 a.m. with an orchestral performance led by Duffy, who was later dubbed “T-Diddy” by Edo.G and Twice Thou. Wearing a tux with tails, Duffy led a Yale orchestra in a piece that he had written called “Who Am I?,” which featured a spoken word performance by T-Diddy himself.

The orchestral piece also served as introduction to Edo.G who took the mic to say a short message over a background of classical music. “You need to respect your parents, respect your teachers, and respect the police,” he said, drawing some chuckles and murmurs of disagreement from the audience.

“Yes,” Edo.G continued. “You need to respect yourselves and stop the violence, because we are here for peace.”

Duffy’s piece was followed by a “mini-movie” co-produced by 4Peace to educate teenagers about mandatory minimum sentencing. In the brief film — which captivated the audience (pictured) — 19-year-old Tyrell is arrested for gun possession. He thinks he’s going to do just a couple of years, but his case gets picked up by federal prosecutors and he ends up with a 15-year sentence, leaving his infant child and girlfriend behind.

In the Q and A following the movie, one teenager asked if the police could search a locked glove compartment. Another, a Hillhouse student in the balcony, asserted that if you had a “pump shotgun in the trunk” and you locked the trunk, then “they can’t pick you up.”

“If you think that, if you think that, you be getting locked up real quick,” Edo.G replied. “You’re friends are not lawyers, don’t listen to them.”

4Peace performed three songs with guest rapper Rizz Cooke, eliciting nods, claps, and whoops from the audience. They brought the audience to its feet for the last song, and had the hundreds of students waving two-fingered peace signs in the air.

Performances followed by teenage rappers Anthony Ramos of Bridgeport, Norman “Blizz” Tappin of High School in the Community, and Joshane “JB” Barton of Metropolitan Academy. All three won the chance to visit the set of the BET program 106 and Park.

After the concert, as teenagers gathered around the stage to ask the rappers questions, Paul Henderson (pictured), a security officer at Hillhouse High, passed his business card to Edo.G. Henderson said that he wants to try to get 4Peace to come back to New Haven for a concert at Hillhouse.

Henderson said that hip-hop is the way to deliver a message of nonviolence to teenagers so that they will listen to it. “It has an effect. That’s how you’re going to reach them,” he said.

Henderson mentioned the Hillhouse senior who had asserted that cops don’t have the right to search a locked trunk. “He believes that,” Henderson said. “He probably rolls with someone that do that. Now he knows.”

“They don’t know, and that’s why we’re here,” said Edo.G, relaxing on a stool at the side of the stage.

“It turned out well,” he said of the concert. “I’m ecstatic. I think the kids got it.”

Source:
New Haven Independent