Can't knock the hustle

Still grinding. Grumpy Grumperson this aft. I'll own it. Need. More. Coffee. Starting to sound like that chick from the Gilmore Girls who mainlines java.

Stevie Wonder talks about A Time 2 Love with The Guardian. Apparently he can't get it on to his own music. He needs to play a little Beyoncé for that. Or Luther or Usher.

16 year-old Barbados pop singer Rihanna is making moves. Hova is feeling her. But not like that. ("Move Over Beyoncé "? Please. Who writes such dribble?)

Every single retail store in all of Vancouver (and most coffee shops too) is bumping Madonna's latest, which irritates me to no end. But not as much as listening to Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas coo about her lovely lady humps. I'm happy I didn't go to the Grey Cup for that reason alone.

Politics is going to hell in a hand basket in Canada. The minority governments unite for a historic no-confidence vote.

Killa Kela is so dope.

An interview with blogger and New Yorker pop critic Sasha Frere-Jones. Especially interested to see this:

The internet and blogs have democratized music criticism. In your own blog, you write in a much different style than in your print articles. How would you define the effect that blogs have had on criticism?
There are an awful lot of blogs. It probably has helped one or two really great writers skip a few years of painful stringing and get some good freelance work. I don’t know if editors have changed their attitude about critics based on blogging. The New Yorker hasn’t, as far as I can tell.

Blogs, blogs, blogs

Still kinda slammed. Procrastinating for a minute. Hit that mid-afternoon wall and trying to treat it with coffee and Technorati. Did you know that these are the Top 10 Most Popular Blogs?

1. Boing Boing - A Directory of Wonderful Things
2. Post Secret
3. Engadget
4. Daily Kos
5. The Huffington Post
6. Wikipedia
7. Gizmodo, the Gadget Blog
8. Instapundit
9. Dooce
10. Michelle Malkin

People are strange.

Girl

First frost this morn in Van City. Sun's shining, lots of snow on the mountains. The downtown core looks all icy and glittery. Spent the weekend trying to avoid Grey Cup Fever. The streets were packed with paunchy middle-aged tourists, hammered and stumbling around yelling random shit. The best was the drunken dudes with mullets and styrofoam hats fashioned like giant cheeses. No thanks, I'll pass.

Me, I took it easy. Read a silly book, and part of a more serious one. Rolled with my bro and his crew to the best burger spot in town to eat Caribbean burgers and talk hip-hop. Went to a house party. (Made my stepmom's famous pimento cheese spread. My friends used to call me Lil' Cupcake, cause I always showed up to social events with baked goods. Trying to change things up a bit now. Going to be Dip Girl for a while.) Me and Best Friend--who gets married in three short weeks--went to brunch and then to the spa. Walking on pedicured paws/touching with manicured claws. That's right.

Listened to Destiny's Child and Mariah. It was that kind of weekend.

Press Clips

DOSE is really killing it right now. First, Canadian MC (and Paris resident) Buck 65 gives his perspective on the French Riots. There is also an article (I can't find it on line, so if you are in Canada pick up the paper) that pits activist Valerie Smith against Pound publisher Rodrigo Bascunan on the question: "Why does rap get a bad rep?" [EDIT: here's the link. Scroll down to pg.6]

Here's a choice quote from Rodrigo (shout out to him!), who is also the author (with Christian Pearce) of the upcoming book Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture from Samuel Colt to 50 Cent.

WHY DO PEOPLE BLAME RAP FOR YOUTH VIOLENCE?
For some, it's a really easy way to garner publicity, because they know it's going to be a controversial statement. Then there are people ignorant enough to believe that [of] the tons of factors that go into creating an individual, music is the one that turns them from being good citizens to sociopaths. In conjunction with that, there are people who use hip-hop to distract from the real problems [creating] disenfranchised people: bad schooling, bad health, bad social assistance.

Quest for Fire

Interviewed the Off!shall Canadian Hip-Hop Ambassador today, Kardinal. Everywhere I go in the world, when heads hear I'm from Canada, they're like, "Oh word? You know Kardi?" For all my years at the Straight, I've never interviewed him before, so I was looking forward to it.

Plus, ever since Maestro gave me a talking-to (re: my book and a T.O. chapter), I'm really trying to spend more time on T-dot hip-hop. Yep, I'm grown up enough to take feedback, and I am stepping my coverage up on the Toronto scene.

Kardi's latest Fire and Glory has been playing in my crib for days now. Really feeling it, especially "Everyday (Rudebwoy)," "Sunday," "Mr. Officer," and "Kaysarasara."

Check his verse to the females on "Sunday":

Yo, God bless you chick, God bless you girl
God bless all the women suffering around the world
At the hands of a man
The words of these punks
I can't lie, I used to lust for the junk in your trunk
But, but, but--well let me lay it out
I used to see you in your tight clothes and wanna lay you out
When I see all of your ass, I ain't thinking about your mind
That's word!
Dress how you want, by all means
But don't expect me to see past
That little fat thing out the middle of your Parasuco jeans
Yeah, I got a Moms, got a sister too
And they remind me of them women that's beautiful
Leave some of your goods to the imagination, you know?
You wonder why them n**s be thinking you a ho
At first sight I can't see inside your mind, girl
But I can see the g-string on your behind
Think about it.

I've heard that sentiment loads of times in industry circles, but rarely on wax. What does everyone think about that position? Me, I'm mulling it over.

In other news...

The Source has (at least) 99 Problems.

It's real popular to blame hip-hop for everything right now. For real.

And, on a totally different tip, I went and saw RENT. Two thumbs down.

Elliott Wilson interview

Too long to post in full, so here's the highlights of my phone interview with Elliott Wilson, Editor-in-Chief of XXL Magazine...

ON THE CHARGE THAT HE GIVES TOO MUCH SPACE TO 50 AND INTERSCOPE
If you find an artist who is a cover star artist, who continually impacts the culture, and every time you’ve put him on the cover, he sells—why would you stop doing it? I don’t understand why anybody would think I should stop doing it. And when I do interview them, I don’t kiss their ass. I ask them the questions that people want to know.

ON COOLING OUT THE BEEF WITH THE SOURCE
I had to look back on that situation and recognize that it got out of hand. The XXL/Source beef ended up becoming like a real rap beef, on the level of the artists’ beefs. We’re supposed to be in beef too? You know what I mean? It was just out of control. I had to at a certain point say, “You know what? This is not how I want to go about it. This is going to get to the point where someone is going to get hurt. And I’m the leader of this movement and I gotta to be responsible for everybody, and their lives. We’re gonna cool it down and we are just going to let the work speak for itself.”

ON TALKING TRASH ABOUT BLOGGERS
Like I’ve said before, I’ve dissed blogging, but it was basically because I was mad at two people who had made some comments regarding my wife. I’m married and I love my wife. I’ve been married since June and I’m a newlywed. And my wife’s a public figure and I’m a public figure. But, you know, it’s like the hero in the movie. I really need to learn to not let that be my Achilles heel. You know, like if you mention my wife, I go crazy. But it’s a learning process. People said some things I didn’t like and I condemned the whole thing. I’m a novice to learning about this blogging movement and how strong it is.

ON HIP-HOP BLOGS
Overall, I think it’s a good thing. I compare it somewhat to my rise in the game, which is I started doing independent magazines. I couldn’t get into the mainstream and get to a national magazine. I started doing my own things, like Beat Down and Ego Trip. Then it led to the Source opportunity, and this XXL opportunity. I feel like if you are a kid nowadays, there’s a lack of independent magazines across the board. So a lot of these dudes—these ladies and men—are using these blogs as their forum to develop their voice. And I applaud that. I think that that’s what you have to do as a writer, you have to put your thoughts out there, you have to develop your voice, and you’re gonna get better.

…

[Blogs, web sites, and internet forums] have had a tremendous impact on hip-hop, in terms of the daily aspect of it. You can get your thoughts out to the people a lot quicker than I can. Some people are real reporters and some people aren’t. There’s a lot of factual information and there’s a lot erroneous information. I love it. It’s kind of like hip-hop. It’s just a big fucking mess. And that’s what hip-hop is. Hip-hop is not all good. It’s like Ludacris said, “Move bitch, get out the way.” You can’t really sit here and defend Ludacris’s lyrics, but if you understand hip-hop and you understand the culture, you don’t feel harmed by Ludacris, or feel he’s a misogynist. You know what he is. But you kind of have to be inside—live the culture and breathe the culture—to really understand it. Obviously our culture is beautiful and our culture is ugly. And it’s our culture. The forums and the blogs and the sites express that.

ON HIS CRITICS
You get a feel about what people are saying about me and the magazine [on the blogs]. That’s what I like about it, you get this unfiltered feedback about what you’re doing and what’s going on.

…

I applaud the freedom [of blogs], but with that—it’s like some Peter Parker shit—with that comes great responsibility. Some people I don’t feel are qualified to judge me, and it seems like they have an agenda against me. The same way they can criticize me, I can criticize them back. But like I said, I don’t want people to feel like every blogger should hate me. At the end of the day, it was more a reactionary thing to the acts of two people. I squashed it with one of them and the other still hates me from afar… I don’t know what his issue is, but if he ever wants to have dialogue with me, I’m open to it. I’m not running and hiding from any criticism about my relationship with Interscope. You wanna know my relationship with Interscope? Just ask me.

…

To love hip-hop is to be critical of it. It’s to support what you like, and chastise what you don’t. That’s what being a hip-hop fan is. Hip-hop fans are real critical—it’s love and hate. That’s why I thought of that concept for the end of the year. Everybody does their year re-cap, so we’re gonna do this thing called the Love/Hate issue. We’re going to say things that we love and things that we hate, and really just put it out there. Don’t be afraid to say you didn’t like something. You know, I’m the only magazine that runs letters that say bad things about me. You don’t see any magazines that run, “the editor sucks dick,” and “he is Jimmy Iovine’s bitch.” I run that. I’ll take that. That’s the exchange. You put yourself out there, you get it back—good or bad. And you have to be able to accept that. So I think the blogs do that. They’re sort of a watchdog, they keep things in check.

ON WHY HE REACHED OUT TO BLOGGERS ABOUT XXL RAPS
I was looking at the situation, and I’ve always been in a position through Ego Trip and through my work and having relationships with other journalists, I was always able to—on any project I’ve done—to get media love. To get that New York Times article. I just felt like, with this album coming out, “Should I go that route?” And I started to do that a little bit, and I did a couple of interviews. At the end of the day, I thought, “let’s try to do something different here.” The first idea was this guy Hashim Warren—I’ll say his name, I don’t give a fuck—has a problem with me. What I think I should do is challenge him to some sort of debate. Or do something on an online site or some blog, do some big podcast chat. Have everybody come at me, ask me any Interscope question and really get clarity. It will promote the record and give people a chance to talk to me. Cause I have been pretty quiet for the last couple of years. I talked all my bash-The Source-shit, and then I quieted down. I haven’t really been out there a lot really doing a lot of media stuff, and a lot of interviews. So it came from that idea: OK, I am going to challenge Hashim. But I was like, “You know what? It’s not really just about Hashim. It’s about a lot of people are saying things, good and bad, and there’s a whole community out here." And I definitely have to give my wife the ultimate thank you, that she’s opened my eyes to this, because she does a blog. She told me about you guys and different people whose work she thinks is really good. So I was like, “Give me the contacts for those people you think are good, baby, and I’ll have an intern draw up a letter, and hopefully I can talk to these people.” I think that’s a real innovative, different approach. And also, I didn’t want to be misunderstood. That just because I had made these comments that I don’t feel blogging has a place. I had to recognize what it was and get my education on it. And ultimately I decided that this was a real innovative, different way, and it gives people a chance to talk with me and get clarity on things.

…

It’s also me just getting a feel of who they are. Maybe one day I would want to work with this person, or maybe one day I would want to hire this person. You know, just seeing who is out there. Who is the critics and the commentators of this culture? Because at the end of the day, the magazines have sort of been replaced by these people. So I want to know who Hashim Warren is. Honestly, I do. I want to know where he is coming from. And I want to know: is he dissing me because he thinks that that’s gonna gain attention from me, and I’m gonna want to hire him? Or does he just hate me, or hate hip-hop, or hate that XXL is the top magazine? At the end of the day, I recognize that these people are the underbelly, the conscience of the culture right now. And I’m not going to ignore these people. Part of my rise is that XXL covers all the areas and we are on top of everything. So if this is what’s going on—and I think it’s only going to get bigger—than at least people can say, “well, he really recognized that this was something that was worth talking about.”

Border trouble

Yeah, so I was just telling someone the other day how ridiculous our border is and...bam.
Toronto Member of Parliament Dan McTeague is trying to block 50 Cent's entrance into Canada. "I don't think people in Toronto or any urban centre need or want to hear Mr. Jackson's message right now," McTeague says. He believes (here's something original) that 50's music glorifies violence. "We need to do a better job at protecting Canadians from people whose message runs counter to all of our efforts of trying to curb gun violence."

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty isn't buying it. The causes of Toronto's gun violence are much more complex than that, he says.

According to a very unscientific survey of rappers I've interviewed, our border is one of the worst in the world to cross. It's funny, because Canada's view of itself is that we are among the most multicultural, tolerant, and liberal societies on the planet. And yet, our border has a rep for being one of the most racist around. It's like, "We're for peace. Unless you wanna come up here."

Habitat Jam

The United Nations is looking for input from urban youth around the world. Check out their Habitat Jam, a 72-hour internet forum Dec. 1-3rd.

The Environmental Youth Alliance is having World Urban Cafes leading up to the World Urban Forum in Vancouver in June 2006. Check out the blog for the Columbian leg of the tour.

The Bridge is Over

Still slammed. Still happy as a clam with all the work.

Here's another flick from my girl Jac (a.k.a. Jacqueline Drew Henderson), who is still in London. Hey Jac: how about you get your ass home? Just saying. And while I'm on the subject of globe-trotting friends, Jule are you gonna make it home from Mexico at some point?

I know, I know, all you hip-hop bloggers out there don't give a crap about my girlfriends.

Anyway...still trying to get around to transcribing the Elliott Wilson interview, but I've got deadlines today so it's gonna have to wait a little longer.

XXL Raps

Very foggy day in Van City and I am in the midst of deadline mayhem. Which I kinda like. I would way rather be busy than bored, you know? I'm cup-half-full girl again. Not trying to be Debbie Downer today.

Interviewed XXL Editor-in-Chief Elliott Wilson this morn. As I have said before, unlike some other bloggers, I get a kick out of his editorials. I like his witty, combative brand of humor, I like the complex web of lyric references, and I can get into beef as much as the next person. Plus, I think he made an important move with the Katrina editorial. It's all good to lob shots, but it's nice to know that when shit hits the fan, the important stuff gets talked about.

Wilson recently reached out to us bloggers about his XXL Raps project, and I took him up on his offer to do an interview. I don't really understand how other bloggers would decline the opportunity. Hate it or love it, XXL is on top right now. And if you are really into writing about hip-hop--fascinated and obsessed with it, in fact, as most of us bloggers are--why wouldn't you want to question someone on top of the hip-hop writing game? Just curious.

I'll post segments of the interview tomorrow. For now, back to the grind...

More noise

Still salty about Valerie Smith's attack on hip-hop. (The Human Rights Commission? Really?) While we're at it, let's just blame everything on hip-hop (link via Hashim). Noel Gallagher from Oasis agrees. Here's some choice quotes from him:

"I fucking despise hip hop. Loathe it. Eminem is a fucking idiot and I find 50 Cent the most distasteful character I have ever crossed in my life. It's so negative. Eminem's new song about his kid - isn't it the most ridiculous piece of music you have ever heard in your life? I just don't like the dragging women around on dog leads and all that stuff. I'm not fucking having that."

and

"The critical thing about these fuckers is they go on about 'increase the peace' and getting kids to stay in school, but they're all raving crack heads. It's a fake form of music to me, and they're all a bunch of idiots anyway."

A girl could get very worn out trying to defend hip-hop right now.

Putting in work

Listening to Kanye's "Drive Slow." Love that track. Trying to get some work done.

Some bits and bites...

African Hip-Hop gets the props it deserves at the H20 Film Fest.

UK hip-hop journo Hattie Collins reviews Angry Black White Boy.

Mary J. Blige disses VIBE at the VIBE Awards. Editor-in-chief Mimi Valdés isn't feeling it.

D Block airs beef with Diddy on Hot 97.

Michele Sponagle's Straight cover story on Gwen Stefani hit the newstands today.

Nuff Said

Just a 'lil bit

Feeling just a 'lil bit aggy today. Rushing around, guzzling coffee, and grilling folks on the street, like "What?"

Then I read some stuff on the net that's pretty absurd. Ottawa Citizen reporter Joanne Laucius really messed up (scroll down). As Jimi Izrael has already pointed out, her article on so-called hate rap is lamer than lame. (She reports that a Toronto activist Valerie Smith has launched a complaint with HMV over "hate rap"--hip-hop that refers to women as bitches and ho's. Among other things, Smith believes that hip-hop is responsible for an increase in middle-class teenage sex trade workers.)

Laucius quoted Jimi without ever talking to him, and then, when pressed, admitted that she had no idea where she got the quote from. Super. The funniest thing is that the Citizen is the flagship paper for the CanWest media empire, and, as such, pretty hard to break into. Obviously there is absolutely no reason for this. Apparently all you need to do to get published with them is slap together a random story, re-hash a couple early-90s cliches, diss hip-hop, quote some folks you've never interviewed, and be on your way.

I don't even want to go there with the whole topic of feminism and hip-hop. But watch me. Women like Valerie Smith (not to mention Tipper Gore) make it so much harder for us women in hip-hop. Cause all of sudden anything I say about sexism is equated with their Parents-Resource-Center, law-suit ridiculousness. Cause now I have to keep my mouth shut, or else risk that my critique will get hijacked to justify some crazy, conservative, right-wing agenda. Cause their us-against-them media crusades make it look like I have to choose between a culture that I love and respect for my gender. Cause often the white feminist approach can be pretty racist, and who wants to co-sign that? Cause these women always go overboard and get all prudish and weird about the entire thing.

And this is the stupidest shit I've seen, from the Laucius article: "On one Ludacris album cover, the rapper appears ready to bite into a woman's leg." Please. How about picking your battles? Quirky cover art doesn't rank too high on my list, that's for sure.

While we are on the subject, it's not like the hip-hop community isn't already addressing sexism. Take Elizabeth Mendez Berry's VIBE feature on domestic abuse, or this recent conference.

London night

Here's a cool flick from Jacqueline Henderson (a.k.a. my girl Jac), who is in London and refuses to come home.

Moment of Silence

Having a hard time concentrating today. Listening to Mary's new single (can't stop, won't stop bumping it--I agree with Scott that it's the hottest thing she's done in years). Writing pitches for mo' work and mo' money. Need less of the first and more of the second. Can anyone relate?

Also listening to Nas's "Just a Moment," which feels right. Thinking of my friends from Black Sunday in Soweto, South Africa, who just lost one of their members Thabiso in a car crash. Rest in peace. Feeling for you, Soweto. Especially you, Bhubesii and Hempza. And Lee.

Back at it

Monday morn. Had a three day weekend. Didn't do much. Two local clubs got shot up. It's been happening a lot lately here, and it's enough to make me wanna stay home. A room full of overly drunk 20 year-olds grinding to Usher is not exactly worth risking stray bullets for.

Went out for dinner with the fam at an old haunt instead. Had brunch with one of my profs from grad school (she's become a good friend). And read a book. And then sat around with my bro listening to Special Ed, Brand Nubian, and Children of the Corn.

Doing the web rounds. Check out Celine Wong's interview with Miss Info in today's DOSE. And a piece on blogging in The Guardian, a paint-by-numbers review of Kanyeezy's show in the Village Voice (formula: lead with his cocky attitude, marvel at his contradictions, and then at some point admit his genius, result: lazy-ass journalism), and some post-Katrina questions from Naomi Klien.

Van City, baby

Another rainy day in my hometown. Notice how nobody is on the streets? That's cause people aren't trying to get soaked. For the fifth time this week.

Have to keep my Vancouver-bashing to a minimum tho. Last time I blogged bad about Van City, my best friend was like, "Oh yeah? Well, move to some other city and complain about them, then."

Getting closer...

Get to know 50 or cry trying

Went to an advance screening of 50's new flick the other night and I've been thinking about it ever since. I left feeling...kinda empty. I don't know how you watch a story like his (crack-dealing Mom murdered at 8 years of age, streets, jail, brutal beef, getting shot up, and then escaping death) without feeling much, but I did.

And the thing was that I really wanted to feel for 50. For a long time now, I have wanted more from him than his bulletproof, detached, defiant, workaholic persona. (I know, I know, like I'm friends with the dude or something. But you all know what I mean.)

I want to know something about who he is--which is why I was so excited to see the movie. But 50 served up the info (his life-long struggle to grieve his mother and come to terms with an absent father), without any of the emotion. And it wasn't his acting either, because his acting was decent. It was just that something was missing from the entire production.

Laura Sinagra at the Village Voice agrees.

Go shorty...

...it's my birthday. Not gonna party tho, gonna work. (Nobody who knows me will be surprised by that).

Started my day at 5 a.m. at CBC, groggy as hell, taping The Current show with Bakari and Adam on the line. Big shout out to both of them. Much respect.

Supposed to interview a certain well-dressed rapper/producer this aft (top secret til the story runs) and I am so looking forward to it. A perfect work day for moi. And then Best Friend is taking me out for Thai.

Listen to the rap attack and hold the radio close

Bakari Kitwana and Adam Mansbach are on an award tour with Oliver Wang, Raquel Z. Rivera, and Ernie Paniccioli. Bring them to your city.

If you are in Canada, tune in to CBC radio tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. for The Current show. Adam, Bakari, and I are going to be chopping it up about white kids in hip-hop.

Tunes

In keeping with my mood today, here's a little Mary for you all. (From her new album "The Breakthrough.")

Extra

More press on the African Hip-Hop Summit. Some great flicks. Lotsa criticism.

Sample comments:

"Does Guru not know that in African culture our Mother's are revered as queens? Don't come push your wack US motherf*ing issues onto us... Surely being a MC you got a few more intelligent words to get the crowds going?"

and...

"I loved the africans hip hoppers, we rock pity the event did not show how brilliant they were, Guru should have never been there, telling us that he will perform some real hip hop...whatever! Africans rule, these Americans should never ever be allowed to close the concert rather opening acts."

I know a few know what I'm talking about...

It was love for the thing that made me wanna stay out
It was love for the thing that made me stay in the house
Spendin time, writin rhymes
Tryin to find words that describe the vibe
That's inside the space
When you close yo' eyes and screw yo' face
Is this the pain of too much tenderness?

Always come back to these lines from Mos. Hate to admit it, but I'm feeling a little weepy today. Spent the whole weekend reading Danyel Smith's Bliss and it was just so damn GOOD. Took me forever to get a copy and once I did, I drank it down in giant gulps.

Can't say much now cause I am writing a review, but I will say that Danyel perfectly captured the heaven and hell that is the music industry (the North America circuit, anyway). What it feels like to live (even part-time) on this madly dysfunctional, insular, passionate little island that floats in the center of mainstream culture. How huge it is, but how suffocating and small. How it touches everything for miles, but rarely sticks a toe off the island. How it feels like high school for grown folks with bank accounts. How it moves me to tears and repels me at the same time. How the only way to cope is to Keep On Moving.

How I hit a breaking point, feel like it's time to kick hip-hop to the curb and be out--and then one song hits hard out of nowhere, gets me somewhere deep inside, and draws me back in again. And how my entire life is all tied up with this twisted, beautiful world. How it means everything, and yet, sometimes, nothing at all.

In the News

If you are in Canada, be sure to check out Zi Magazine, whose first issue just hit newstands. Look for my global hip-hop article "From Bronx to Bangkok: Hip-Hop Turns 30."

Also, check out Nadia Neophytou's article on Emmanuel Jal and the African Hip-Hop Summit (scroll way down for a quote from yours truly).

Emile Jansen and Black Noise

Been reading a book called My Hip-Hop is African & Proud by Emile Jansen from Cape Town, South Africa (flick above from the African Hip-Hop Summit opening party). The book is a dope collection of essays, lyrics, poems, and short stories. It gives a unique perspective on South African hip-hop, the apartheid era, and the hip-hop renaissance that is currently going down all over Africa. Read more about it here (especially the first paragraph from Emile).

Emile Jansen, a.k.a. Emile YX?, is the Afrika Bambaataa of South Africa--the Godfather of SA hip-hop. He's been in hip-hop since 1982, and continues to be an active b-boy, MC, graff artist, author, educator, and hip-hop activist. Over the past two decades, Emile has launched numerous projects including Da Juice hip-hop magazine, Heal the Hood, and the African Hip-Hop Indaba.

His crew Black Noise is a hip-hop collective that records, performs, teaches, and engages in community development. The proceeds from their products (books, CDs, DVDs), school tours, and concerts support the organization and its members. Black Noise has sent more than 50 young dancers to the World Breakdance Championships in Germany. They are currently involved in a membership drive; they are looking to register 5,000 new members in the next three years. Each member will be required to sell 15 locally produced products, and the money raised will fund educational initiatives in the townships.

I had a chance to interview Emile during the summit and I learned a lot from him. Much respect. In fact, talking with him radically changed my approach to my own book. (More on that later.)

Everyone should cop his book.



Here's how:

Send your postal order for $20 US to...

Black Noise P.O. Box 31184, Grassy Park 7888, Cape Town 8000, South Africa

More African Hip-Hop

OK, I can't get enough of African hip-hop right now:

Listen to my girl Lee Kasumba's interview with K'naan and Tumi from Tumi & The Volume. The interview was aired on the Harambe radio show in S.A. Harambe is Swahili for "let's pull together."

And from the same site...check out South Africa's Zubz mix tape The Last Letta. And this interview with Soweto's Pro Kid. Listen to track 3 "Soweto" here. Fav song right now.

Check out Kenyan hip-hop. Shout out to Gidi Gidi Maji Maji!

And the United Nations of Hip-Hop site.

And the African Hip-Hop site.

DJ Awadi and Positive Black Soul are on an award tour. (Big up to the African President's Tour!)

Uganda Hip-Hop Foundation

Had the pleasure of meeting Krazy Native, a.k.a. Saba Saba (MC with the infamous Bataka crew) and Francis Agaba (hip-hop activist) from the Uganda Hip-Hop Foundation while I was in South Africa. They gave a talk at the EYA's World Urban Cafe about the work that they're doing in UG. The organization runs a weekly hip-hop night, a web site, and does educational tours about hip-hop activism in schools throughout Uganda and the African continent.

Krazy Native also heads a community anti-drugs/anti-poverty youth organization called Bavubuka All Stars. He founded Bavubuka after discovering an infant in a dumpster while filming a music video in the slums of Kampala. [Edit: Actually, I got this wrong. The foundation was officially started by Babaluku and Aaron Kim Elton in Canada. Krazy Native was the representative in Uganda.] He paid a woman $20 to look after the baby while he was on tour. He came back several weeks later and adopted the girl. Her name is Aaliyah and she's now a year old. It only took 20 bucks to save her life.

Krazy Native recently released a single "Tuja Babya," which was nominated for Best Hip Hop Single and Best New Artist of the year in the PAMA (Pearl of Africa Music Awards) in East Africa 2005. You can check the video here (L.A.'s DJ 3rdi is shooting a documentary about UG hip-hop called "Diamonds in the Rough." He also shot KN's vid.)

You can hear a hot KN/Bataka track here (select "Uganda Project," then "Audio," then "Wansi Wagulu"). I love the hook! Saw KN do the track live a couple of times in Joburg and I was humming it all the way back to Canada.

Big shout out to Krazy Native, Francis, Babaluku (a.k.a. Mr. Africa), and DJ 3rdi.

Concert in New Town

Still catching up on my posts. Want to spend a few minutes on the final concert in New Town, which gets mixed reviews, according to me.

On the one hand, it was exciting to have so many African artists on one bill. (K'naan, Randy P, Lady B, Emmanuel Jal, Gidi Gidi Maji Maji, Young Nations, Bhubesii, Zuluboy, Proverb and more.) The music was soooo good and the audience was loving the acts (especially K'naan and Proverb).

But on the other hand, the show cost 90 rands (about $15 ), and so most South African youth couldn't afford to get in. There was a large crowd gathered outside the gates, pushing on the fence. It's never a good feeling to be on the opposite side of the fence from people, but it's especially upsetting in a country with a history like South Africa. All of the artists that I interviewed were troubled by that and wished that the show was free.

Guru from Gangstarr headlined. He didn't seem to pick up on the vibe of the concert (one of empowerment and peace) and came on stage all thugged out with "super producer" Solar in tow, swearing and acting all aggy. It didn't really fly with the crowd. A lot of people thought that his set was wack. A lot of African rappers (who have experienced incomprehensible levels of violence) aren't feeling the gangsta routine at all.



Emmanuel Jal rocking Joburg. His album Ceasefire is amazing. Emmanuel has an incredible story (he was a child soldier in Sudan), but he prefers to be known for his music.



MC and visual artist Breeze hosted the show, along with Lee from YFM.

Black Sunday block party in Soweto

Some flicks from Black Sunday, a weekly hip-hop show in Zone 1 in Soweto. Easily the highlight of my trip.



Soweto crowd



The next generation: Siya, Fani, Thabo, Sindi, and Lindaeni



Zuluboy (on the right) and friend



Sol Guy (4REAL TV series, Canada) and Lee (Y FM, Y Magazine, Joburg)



DJ Silvastone (U.K.) and Kevina Power (Environmental Youth Alliance, Canada)



K'Naan (Somalia/Canada)

Opening Party Flicks - Primi Piatti in Joburg

Here are some pics from the opening party of the African Hip-Hop Summit in South Africa



Swiss from Durban Youth Radio



Young Nations (Joburg). His album "Nations Uprising" just dropped.



Lee (hip-hop journalist with Y FM and Y Magazine in Joburg) and Maji (from hip-hop group Gidi Gidi Maji Maji in Kenya)



DJ Awadi from Senegal



Randy P and Lady B from Cameroon



Bhubesii (what up Soweto!) and DJ D-Boy from Metro FM.