Some National Recognition

My friend Matt G. alerted me about this. The National Museum of American History is going to have a Hip-Hop exhibit. Now that's official recognition baby. Unfortunately for me, the exhibit doesn't start until after I'm gone from the area, but maybe I'll make it back. Check out the story from boston.com

Smithsonian Hip-Hop Exhibit

WESTSIDE!!!!!

In case you all didn't know already, Adisa "The Bishop" Banjoko's new, "Lyrical Swords Vl. 2: Westside Rebellion" book is coming out March 4. I STRONGLY recommend buying a copy. His first book, "Lyrical Swords Vl. 1: Hip Hop & Politics in the Mix" was a great read. It was both informative and entertaining. After reading the book, I was left with a feeling of optimism and benevolence, something that Hip-Hop should instill in all of us.

There is link to the Bishop's blog on the sidebar. check out the press release for volume two.

Lyrical Swords Vol. 2: Westside Rebellion is the second book in a three part series on Hip Hop and it’s social and political impact by pioneer Hip Hop journalist and critically acclaimed author and lecturer Adisa Banjoko.

It contains a powerful collection of interviews that look at the subculture of Hip Hop and it’s impact on America. It also looks at the relationship between Hip Hop and martial arts, chess, yoga, the prison industrial complex and various spiritual paths.

Lyrical Swords Vol. 2: Westside Rebellion interviews with RZA, Dilated Peoples, Nas, chess icon Maurice Ashley, Balance, Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, DJ QBert, GZA, Paris, and Afrika Bambaataa. It also contains never before seen interviews with Gangstarr, DJ Muggs, Ray Luv, Run DMC and Jam Master Jay, Del and others. This book is a must have for any serious student of Hip Hop.

People Under The Stairs, new album and tour

I've listed tour dates and locations below. The tour is to promote their new album "Stepfather", release date April 18, it will be available at Ameoba, and I'm sure online too.
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Crown City Rockers are opening for P.U.T.S.

Wed-Apr-26 2HO San Francisco, CA Independent
Thu-Apr-27 Offer Eugene, OR Wow Hall
Fri-Apr-28 Conf Portland, OR Berbatti's Pan
Sat-Apr-29 Victoria, BC
Sun-Apr-30 Vancouver, BC
Mon-May-01 Offer Seattle, WA Chop Suey
Tue-May-02 OFF
Wed-May-03 Offer Bozeman, MT Zebra Cocktail Lounge
Thu-May-04 Hold Boise, ID Neurolux
Fri-May-05 Offer Salt Lake City, UT Avalon Theatre
Sat-May-06 chk Denver, CO Cervanti's
Sun-May-07 Hold Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Mon-May-08 Omaha, NE
Tue-May-09 chk Des Moines, IA House of Brick
Wed-May-10 Minneapolis, MN or OFF
Thu-May-11 chk Minneapolis, MN Ascot Room
Fri-May-12 chk Madison, WI The Annex
Sat-May-13 Offer Chicago, IL Subterranean
Sun-May-14 2H Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
Mon-May-15 Toronto, ON
Tue-May-16 Montreal, QU
Wed-May-17 Offer Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Thu-May-18 2H Boston, MA Middle East
Fri-May-19 4H New York, NY Knitting Factory
Sat-May-20 chk Philadelphia, PA TLA
Sun-May-21 Hold Baltimore, MD Ottobar
Mon-May-22 Hold Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Tue-May-23 chk Atlanta, GA tba
Wed-May-24 OFF
Thu-May-25 Hold Orlando, FL The Social, 2H26
Fri-May-26 Hold Gainesville, FL Common Grounds
Sat-May-27 Hold Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
Sun-May-28 chk Houston, TX Engine Room
Mon-May-29 Hold Austin, TX Emo's
Tue-May-30 3H Austin, TX The Parish
Wed-May-31 OFF
Thu-Jun-01 Phoenix, AZ
Fri-Jun-02 Offer Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Sat-Jun-03 2H San Deigo, CA Casbah
Sun-Jun-04 San Luis Obispo, CA Downtown
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Also for your knowledge, some bio info on P.U.T.S. by Nicole Ballin.

People Under the Stairs formed when Mike Turner (Double K) and Chris Portugal (Thes One) met on the fringe of L.A.'s late-'90s hip-hop underground. The duo, devoted to jazzy samples, danceable beats, intricate rhyming skills, and laid-back humor, debuted in 1998 with the acclaimed The Next Step and followed it up in 2000 with Question in the Form of an Answer. Gathering heavy praise and touring with De La Soul, the group took their road experiences and brought it to the studio to record their next album. The final results appeared in the summer of 2002 under the name O.S.T. This highly acclaimed release, which sound-scanned over 35,000 to date, brought People Under The Stairs to the forefront of underground hip-hop. Its follow-up album, Or Stay Tuned… complemented this release and allowed the group to headline nation-wide tours.

Known for serving up playful back-and-forth rhymes set to vinyl-centric production, Thes One and Double K are now back with Stepfather. "People are really going to be surprised by this album,” says Thes One, “We’re flipping the script on this one, coming with an extremely progressive approach. We study a lot of music theory and classic material, and this album reflects that. Even when we did the old school tracks on the album, we still tried to push the envelope with vocal settings and drum patterns.” Using obscure vintage drum machines and running mic pre-amps to the point of intentional distortion, PUTS created a sonic kaleidoscope of textured and layered beats which are complimented by their refreshingly cool narratives of the L.A. Hip Hop life. A better description of Stepfather might be that of a Hip Hop history book on tape. From the old school beats with those classic SP 1200 drums and rich Hammond organ keys to new school progressive tracks with live guitar and bass, Stepfather is by far PUTS’s most intricate and musically advanced album.

Production aside, Stepfather also offers a much more personal perspective into the lives of Thes One and Double K. On the track “Days Like This,” Double K reflects on his modest upbringing and the struggles that his mother endured in order to provide for the family, while Thes One offers a personal thanks to his father who labored has a fruit field worker so that his son may live a better life. On “Reflections,” Double K and Thes One lament in vivid detail their recognition of the moral vacuum that plagues today’s society. From these heavy hearted songs to the light and head nodding barbecue anthems such as “Jamboree pt. 1”, Thes One and Double K explore the spectrum of human emotions and offer their most personal music to date.

With an amazing live show and a loyal fan base hungry for their next album, People Under The Stairs’ Stepfather will undoubtedly be one of Hip Hop’s biggest releases of 2006! Stepfather features guest appearances from legendary Funkadelic and Parliament member George Clinton, Monty Stark (Stark Reality), and Kat of Crown City Rockers. The album also includes a bonus documentary-style DVD that includes show footage and a short film.

Photo Credit: putsonline.co.uk

Check out this slideshow.

A small experience of what it is like during this amazing religious ceremony.

The Jain Festival, India

Another perspective on Hamas victory, and what lies ahead.

Photo Credit: presna.com

CAIRO, February 27, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) –

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which cruised to the helm of power in the Palestinian territories after a landslide election victory, is ready for dialogue with the United States and Europe but without any prior conditions, its leader said on Monday, February 27.

"We are ready to engage in constructive dialogue with all parties, including the US, except for the Zionist enemy (Israel)," Khaled Meshaal told the London-based Arabic-speaking international daily Al-Hayat.

"This dialogue should be held on the principles of equality and without preconditions."

Hamas has swept the Palestinian legislative elections, winning 74 of the 132-seat legislature, against 45 for Fatah.

Ismail Haniya, a pragmatist who led the "Change and Reform" list of Hamas candidates to last month's stunning victory, has been officially asked by President Mahmoud Abbas to form the new government.

The United States and the European Union have so far rejected any dialogue with the resistance group unless it disarms, "renounces violence" and recognizes Israel.

"We do not accept these unjust and unrealistic conditions which proved their failure in the past," said Meshaal.

*Confusion*

The Hamas leader said the group's election victory has caught the US and the Europeans off guard.

"Hasty reactions by the United States and other international parties reflect confusing stances and illustrate the quagmire these parties are facing after Hamas's election win."

The US and EU have threatened to cut off aid to a Hamas-led government.

"These stances show the double-standards policies pursues by these countries and how hollow are their rhetoric sloganeering about democracy," Meshaal said.

"They want to punish the Palestinian people only because they practiced their democratic right to choose their leaders."

Former US president Jimmy Carter has cautioned the United States and Israel against punishing the Palestinian people for electing Hamas.

Israel has frozen the monthly transfers of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, worth around $50 million.

The Palestinian Authority is dependent on foreign aid and on tax revenues collected by Israel on its behalf to pay its 140,000 employees and keep its ministries and institutions functioning.

*Muslim Support*

Meshaal said the resistance group was counting on help from Arab and Muslim countries to make up for withheld foreign aid.

"International parties have already signaled they will continue aid to Palestinian projects even under a Hamas-led government.

"In addition, many Arab and Muslim countries have vowed to support the new government."

Khalil Abu Lila, a senior Hamas leader, on Saturday, February 25, told IslamOnline.net they received generous aid pledges at the grassroots and state levels in the Muslim world, double the aid which the US, the EU and others are threatening to cut off.

During her recent Mideast trip, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice failed to mobilize support for isolating the Hamas-led government and deny aid and support to the already cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

Meshaal said the Hamas-led government will seek to develop the infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"We will also build up an independent Palestinian economy, curtail government expenses and create new financing sources."

Nice Day in DC

Photo Credit: N. Webb

More proof that the prison system is failing.

Calif. Prison System Chief to Resign
Sunday, February 26, 2006
(02-26) 12:27 PST Sacramento, Calif. (AP) --

The head of California's prison system, a reform-minded appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he's resigning after more than two years on the job because his efforts lacked political support.

Corrections Secretary Roderick Q. Hickman, 49, said the governor would receive an official letter of resignation Monday.

"I think we've built an excellent foundation, but I just don't see the courage and will we need to get it done across the board in the government of California," Hickman told the Los Angeles Times in Sunday's edition.

The governor's office said Sunday the department's undersecretary, Jeanne Woodford, will temporarily fill the top post.

The department under Hickman started a new parole program designed to keep more inmates from returning to prison by easing their transition back to a normal life.

And while he believes the governor remains interested in prison reform, Hickman said "the special interests we're up against are just too powerful to get much done in the current environment."

The influence wielded by the powerful prison guards' union also nudged him toward leaving his post, Hickman said.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association has fought with Hickman since he took the job, even though he began his career as a prison guard and was a union member for 20 years.

Union leaders initially were upset with Hickman for his campaign to purge the prisons of the "code of silence" that Hickman and others said deterred guards from reporting misconduct by colleagues.

Union leaders also blamed him for the death of an officer who was stabbed by an inmate at the state prison in Chino, noting that the prison had failed to distribute 300 stab-proof vests to guards. Union spokesman Lance Corcoran said Hickman's "philosophy and his lack of leadership" created the climate for the killing.

Outside the state's prison system, brawls between black and Hispanic prisoners in Los Angeles County jails have injured more than 100 men this month and killed two.

A message left at Hickman's home by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.

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I got this from the sfgate website.

Immortal Technique website

Hey y'all, I know I have the Immortal Technique link on the sidebar going to the .com website, but that site pretty much seems dead. I don't know what's going on, but you can check out this site for now.

The .net site

Writerz Guild website showing signs of life.

LOL. The always enjoyable Writerz Guild has begun to develop their website a little more, and will continue to do so I've been told. If you're in Northern Cali, make sure you go check them out at El Rincon, they play regularly. Enjoy.

A Good Article About "The Chappelle Situation"

Photo Retrieved: paulhina.com

“Truth Chappelle Style” by Stephane Dunn

The truth is permanent; everything else’ll fall by the wayside.

Twenty years from now when young black comedians speak of their comedic models and pay tribute to the legends who came before, Dave Chappelle will probably be one of them. Chappelle’s famous walk away from his reported fifty million dollar show on Comedy Central cast him into the glare of superstar celebrity, but it is his public comedic dialogue since his return from finding rest and peace in Africa that may define his place in comedy history.

Chappelle has gone from becoming the latest black comedian to rise to public stardom to stepping into an unlikely role-comedic seer of his generation. From the beginning Chappelle’s show positioned race, class, and the social conventions that they defined at the center of his satirically sharp sketches. Most assuredly, characters like Chappelle’s Clayton Bigsby, the blind black racist who doesn’t know he’s black, highlight the comedian’s no holds barred approach to comedy. Some viewers and critics believed he went too far and a great many of the mixed audience that made it one of the most successful variety shows ever simply loved it. Yet, at the height of the show’s success, Dave Chappelle began to question the politics of stardom and Hollywood. He also questioned the power and responsibility that went along with his talent for highlighting and making people laugh at the often hidden racial taboos that underline cultural differences.

He “bounced” in his words to Africa where he escaped the machinery that came with newly found American stardom. Since his return, Chappelle’s first public dialogues about why he left with Oprah Winfrey and then on Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton, showcase a man whose thinking seriously about the art of his comedy and how to negotiate being true to himself while avoiding becoming another tragic star who falls just as he’s risen to the top. The radical aspect of these dialogues is the way that Chappelle’s appearances on the shows transformed those platforms into spaces where we get to witness perhaps the most revealing and certainly funniest discussion about race than we’ve seen in a long time. Chappelle emphasized that despite media stories to the contrary he was never crazy and fame wasn’t too much for him to handle. It was all the superficial stuff that accompanies mega success. As he told his student listeners and Lipton, “You can become famous but you can’t become unfamous. You can become infamous but not unfamous.”

On the Oprah Show, Chappelle’s profound simplicity and vulnerability brought out the protective big sister who knows the challenges of fame in Winfrey. He struggled to articulate his experience trying to navigate Hollywood celebrityhood. With all of its many intensive dialogues with actors, Chappelle’s gritty conversation on Inside the Actor’s Studio was historical in of itself. The always formal and distinguished Lipton actually got up and danced a little ballet to Chappelle and the audience’s delight. Several times Lipton attempted to speak in the vernacular, his enunciation of words like “honky” adding to the most intense yet hilarious Inside the Actor’s Studio discussion thus far. Chappelle sat chain smoking and working hard at remaining himself and honest at all times. He volleyed back and forth playfully with Lipton, who carefully described Chappelle’s comedy as a medium that revealed black people to whites in ways they missed. Every black American is bilingual Chappelle informed him.

Chappelle says he’s waiting to see how Dave Chappelle is going to turn out. So are a lot of us given the public way his professional and personal life has played out so far. It may be that the torch has been passed to him as his model the legendary Richard Pryor said. In the meantime, Chappelle is interjecting a significant critical dialogue into the public sphere. He admits that he doesn’t know if he’s right or wrong or when his comedic wit goes too far. Yet, he’s making us laugh and think while daring to make mistakes and care about being on the right side of history. The comedian with the very educated parents who didn’t like school says that he might’ve liked to be a teacher. Ironically, he gave the listening students a lesson or two Chappelle style: It’s important to cross the lines. You don’t know if you’ve gone too far until you cross the line.
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Stephane Dunn is the author of the forthcoming Baad ‘Bitches’ and Sassy Supermamas: Race, Gender & Sexuality in Black Power Action Fantasies (University of Illinois Press)
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I came across this article on Marc Anthony Neal's blog, see the link on the sidebar.

More concern about the "code of silence"

I came across this article on AJ Woodson's blog, via The Bishop's blog. It has to do with the murder of one of Busta's bodyguards and how, as usual, no one is stepping up to help solve the murder. Now, I don't know anything about the events surrounding that situation, so I'm not going to judge, but I do question the precedent as well as the example some in the Hip-Hop community are setting. As always, the Bishop's blog is linked on the side.

Hip-Hop Silence is Hurting the Culture

AJ Woodson's Blog

Clownin' Quote from a Serviceman

"A Liberal is a Conservative who hasn't been mugged yet."

All-Star Music Conference

All-Star Music Conference

Feb. 16

Club Taylor's of Houston (13100 S. Post Oak)

Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

Panelist:
Charlie Braxton (Source Magazine)
Carlton Wade (Source Magazine)
Matt Sonzala (XXL)
Greg Gate$ Davenport (Murder Dog, Down Magazine)
Askia Fountain (Russell Simmons Music Group)
TJ Chapman (TJ's DJ's)
DJ Smurf (CEO of Collipark Music/Ying Yang Twins)
Carnival Beats (Platinum Producers)
FLX (Director of Dirty States of America)
Ken Stiggers (WPEG Jackson, Miss.)

Plus 3 afterpartys featuring ESG, Chyna Whyte, DJ Chuck T, Street Pharmacy, P-Slap, etc.

For more info, call 713-899-0392

A Bad Apple

One of the points I make in the book is echoed in this story. Take a look at it.

the Use of Force, the Chronicle Special Report

Video

Update on Book

I know I've been pretty lazy about updating, sorry y'all. However, I've got an update on the book for you. Adisa Banjoko is going to be writing the introduction, that's right! The Bishop of Hip-Hop...Also, there are three new interviews in progress, all of which I am very happy to have: Julia Beverly is the editor of Ozone Magazine (there's a link on the side bar), Greg "Gates" Davenport has written for "Murder Dog" and "Down Magazine" and knows what's up in the South, finally Davey-D the famous Hip-Hop historian (link to his site can also be found on the side bar). I'm really excited about how everything is coming together and still expect the book to be available this summer. I'm still weighing my different options for distribution, but don't trip, anyone who wants a copy will be able to get one as long as you got the $$$$. It's not going to be too expensive or anything, and I'm expecting the book to be around 320 pages, give or take 30 pages. Finally, I'm very happy to announce that Thinkmad has designed the cover. It looks great! You can check out some more of the work Thinkmad does by clicking on the link below. Peace everybody, and make sure you save your money because you can't count on the federal entitlement system anymore!

Thinkmad