POST 9/11 LIVING

The new face of terror

Interesting news today as Bostonians became a city of shook ones as a marketing scheme used by Cartoon Network to promote the upcoming "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie turned into a bomb scare.

BOSTON - More than 10 blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. Most if not all of the devices depict a character giving the finger.

Peter Berdovsky, 29, of Arlington, was arrested on one felony charge of placing a hoax device, and one charge of disorderly conduct, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

I find it odd how nobody noticed these things until today.

Turner Broadcasting said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Someone please notify the officials not to panic and that the urban invasion of Space Invader isn't taking the form of violent aggression.

*Oh snap, folks are on the ball when it comes to making a profit on this type of hysteria. I knew I should have made a trip to the Bay and driven around to get my hand on one.

THE MINSTREL SHOW

Celebration of Black Culture?

A day or so ago, my brother told me about a group of college students in Texas who decided to do their part in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy on his birthday by dressing up in dressing up as stereotypical caricatures of African-Americans, with featuring Aunt Jemima, fried chicken, and malt liquor.

MLK Party at Texas College Called Racist

The students apparently did not know that dressing up in Blackface was racist. I guess this reveals how much ignorance is still prevalent in our country.

A graduate from Texas College who says he started the party is quoted as saying, "I know for sure that they weren't being racist. They were just having fun."

The typical response someone acquires when bestowed with white privilege. The idea of race never crosses the individual's mind, and exploitation of another racial identity becomes just another joke.

What makes this situation all the more shocking is that it wasn't just an isolated incident in Hobunk, TX, but also took places in other universities: Clemson University and University of Connecticut.

The Smoking Gun has pictures (which were posted on Facebook.com) of the parties:

Texas College
University of Connecticut
Clemson University

Somewhere MLK's body is slowly rolling over.

To answer Junichi's question, if this is the type of thinking that emerges from stereotypical representations on a cartoon for kids, then I fully support the Cartoon Network's decision.

ITS THE RETURN OF THE GANGSTA

Why is it that Andre only raps on other people's remixes?

First there was the remix to "Walk It Out", and now he's up on Rich Boy's remix to "Throw Some D's". And on both tracks, he shines far and above all the other artists, even though he comes off a bit weaker on the "Throw Some D's" remix.

Noz has some words on the topic too.

SUPER DISCO HYPHY

DJ B. Cause, from 4 One Funk, has been doing his thizzness infusing hyphy acapellas over funky rhythms. I've always found the two to blend very well, considering the funkiness of hyphy, even though its beats wouldn't exactly place it in the same vein of funk infused rap that g-funk gave to us in the 90's. But hyphy is funky.

So, now B. Cause has unleashed a new mix, giving a disco sensibility to hyphy tracks with "Super Disco Hyphy"

Here's a couple tracks from the mixtape:

Federation - Hyphy (b cause lookin up to you remix)

The Pack - Vans (recurring spaceship re-chop)

The Team - Getting Hot (smerphie's furnace/synth re-mix)

The tracklisting for the rest of the mix:

MISTAH FAB - GHOST RIDE IT (VIDEO)

So, this is the MTV Jam of the week on MTV 2 (a channel that has progressively appeared more and more like MTV 1). Fabby Davis Jr looks to be getting some strong push from Atlantic so far, hopefully they won't pull a Little Brother on him.

On the video version, Sean T had to tweak the beat up a little due to sampling issues. Also, I found it funny was how they had to blank out "Get out the car."

I never really was a fan of the song, but I did appreciate its comedic value.

*I guess Pilly Wonka beat me to it.

MIXUNIT.COM STREAMING MIXTAPES FOR FREE

Interesting...

SAN QUINN VIDEO - "HELL YEAH"

No direct YouTube clip, but you can check out the video in its entirety at San Quinn's Myspace page.

*Edit: The video is now viewable on YouTube.

The video's about a year overdue for those, but it will be a good look if it gets play on MTV or BET.

First this, and the video for FAB's "Ghostride It" getting MTV Jams airplay next week. The 2007's poppin' off quite nicely for the Yay.

On a side note, Bol, do some research before you speak, before you get ethered by Krish.

ANDY GRIFFITH RALLIES AGAINST THE PATRIOT ACT

Some interesting words on the idea of warrantless domestic spying:



Who woulda thunk it? Sheriff Andy Taylor hates America and supports the terrorists.

FREE DJ DRAMA AND DJ DON CANNON: THE CONSOLIDATED VERSION

By now I'm sure a majority of those following the blogging circuit now about the player hating move made two days ago by the record industry against DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon (who, according to the hard hitting investigative coverage of Fox Atlanta's news reporters, are indeed djs).

As of right now, Drama and Cannon have been released on bail.

Kelefa takes a closer look into the sub-culture of mixtapes.

Jeff Chang's take on how the mixtape game might be affected by new policies that the RIAA might put into place.

Davey D: Its not a war on mixtapes, but about inserting power.

Jay Smooth's made the crossover to the vlogging game; he tells the RIAA to stop snitching.

Different Kitchen offers more linkage to other coverage on the incident.

Hip-hop mixtapes have existed on a very blurry line. Its existence lies upon a symbiotic relationship of promotion for a full length album an artist may have released. And for dj's it is their way to market and expose themselves to the masses.

The "For Promotional Use" label that dj's slap on the cd's are usually placed there for legal reasons. We know for a fact that many of these "promotional only" cd's or tapes are sold, with money going inside the pockets of the artists who distribute the product that usually has the music of other artists.

The effects of this are striking, as online music stores, such as MixUnit.com, have taken mixtapes off their shelves. It will be interesting to see how this case unravels and if it will have the same deleterious effect upon hip-hop music and its artists as copyright infringement, in respects to sampling, has made.

In an era where I probably listen to more mixtapes than I do albums, I'm hoping if anything comes out as a result of this, it will be that artists find new and more creative ways to market, release, and create new music.

...JUST BOUGHT A CADILLAC

As long as they keep coming with tracks like the lush sounding "Throw Some D's" by Rich Boy and Polow da Don, I'll stop myself from shaking my head when I hear the South unnecessarily respond to Nas and proclaim, "Hip-Hop Ain't Dead It Lives in the South."

Its too unfortunate that I didn't discover this song until late '06.

Rich Boy & Polow da Don - Throw Some D's (c/o Fader)

BEFORE COMMON AND WILL.I.AM...

Today the media celebrated in diversity today, showing whites and people of color holding hands and hugging. Isn't mulit-culturalism such a swell thing?

Don't let them fool you. Everything isn't all gravy. And the issue of race in America isn't as easily explained as Crash might have lead you to believe.

For today, to preserve the memory of MLK, read and listen to his words of insight and reflect on their symbolism in the state of affairs today.

"Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence

King on War and Peace

For those who aren't hesitant to let the NSA and the rest of the government continue with warrantless domestic spying, don't forget about the acts of domestic terrorism with which the Feds took part during 60's and 70's, and especially against MLK:

From the Church Committee Reports, the Cointel-Program against Martin Luther King, Jr.

And to for more on the Cointel-Pro operations by the FBI in their war against Black America: watch this video. (via Adisa who's always dropping knowledge)

JT THE BIGGA FIGGA, VP OF DOGGHOUSE RECORDS

Snoop's been known to help out up and comers, and now he's taken it a step further by offering to let artists distribute their albums on his Myspace site.

Along to help others eat is one of the hardest hustlers in the game, JT the Bigga Figga, the new VP of Snoop's Dogghouse Records (peep the JT in Snoop's band members section).

From the Siccness forums:

thanx to those that stayed in my ear this for yall too. real dudes need real chances and snoop know it aint me wit out bringing the bay wit me first and foremost.

THE CLEAREST PATH TO PROFIT FOR ALL MY GRINDERS IS 2 STEPS AND PLEASE LISTEN.

WWW.PAYPAL.COM AND WWW.PAYLOADZ.COM YOU MUST REGISTER AND THEN SET YOUR PRICE. THAT SIMPLE NO MIDDLE MAN DIRECT SALES. IN YOUR POCKET KNOW WAITING.

I RUN SNOOP ONLINE DISTRIBUTION ON HIS MYSPACE PAGE AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH TRAFFIC IN 1 SPOT. YOU CAN PUT YOUR ALBUM COVER UP AND HAVE YOUR PAYPAL LINK AND COLLECT OVER 100 DOWNLOADS IN 3 OR 4 DAYS OR EVEN MORE JUST BY 1 BULLETIN TO OVER 500,000 FRIENDS. THIS SHIT IS CRAZY HOW INDEPENDENTS ABOUT TO EAT CAUSE IM TELLIN IT ALL.

SO YALL GET YA KNIVES AND FORKS OUT ITS EATING TIME!

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SNOOPDOGG

PEACE.
CEO 1ST AND FOREMOST OF GET LOW RECORDS.

Thats a real good look.

HALLELUJAH HOLLA BACK!!!

I saw the premiere episode of "The (White) Rapper Show" last Monday but for whatever reason didn't get the inspiration to blog about it until now. Of course there was a lot going on in my mind while watching the show, from Dasit telling MC Serch not to cuss at him cause he wasn't his father (of course we know how Serch feels about white rappers), to a little white girl who admitted to being inspired by Vanilla Ice (God bless her soul), to a dildo being shoved in the face of one of the contestants, to one of the other girls finally understanding (after having to wear a giant medallion with "n-word" inscribed) that dropping the "n" bomb is offensive.

It was all a lot to process.

But I do wonder about one of the most enigmatic characters on the show. The self proclaimed "King of the Burbs," Mr. John Brown. Dude isn't even a rapper, he's an enitity. And, he said he's bringing forth the ghetto revival. Though, we really didn't get a good idea about how his manifesto for the ghetto revival would take shape, but I'm sure he's got something. I mean, he's the king of the burbs and all. But I would like to know if this revival will take the form of an insurrection, just as the abolitionist of the same name had attempted to spark against slavery.

As for the show itself, I've heard a lot internet nerd boy backpackers on message boards proclaim the death to hip-hop culture as a result of the show. I guess they don't see the irony and satire that the show is presenting in regards to race.

Atleast there's Jus Rhymes, the kid getting his Ph.D in ethnic studies at USC. Hopefully he'll teach the kids (especially on the show cause as we can see, they need a lot of assistance) a thing or two about race and hip-hop. Check his submission for the show.

MAC DRE'S LIKENESS BANNED FROM SCHOOL

Being that I have, for now, relocated to the Central Valley, I've been bombarded by news reports of city and school officials further dividing the generational gap between them and the youth. First their was the overreaction of law enforcement officers in downtown Modesto in response to the lack of coordination with an even that was being promoted as a "hyphy" event. Ghostridin' has been more sensationalized than ever, and now Riverbank Unified School District is deciding whether or not to ban Mac Dreezy's name from the schools.

Mac Dre on Riverbank's list

Riverbank school officials are targeting a new name in an effort to deal with an old problem.

Riverbank Unified School District board members will vote tonight on whether to add the name Mac Dre to a running list of names and labels students cannot wear at school.

Mac Dre was the founder of Sacramento-based Thizz Entertainment. He was gunned down two years ago in Kansas City after a performance and was said to be associated with use of the drug ecstasy.

Few students wear clothes displaying the name, so making it against the rules hasn't caused a stir on campus, said Robert Searway, 17, a senior at Riverbank High.

Some believe the name Mac Dre is tied to inappropriate behavior.

"It's associated with taking drugs," said Superintendent Joe Galindo.

Mac Dre coined the slang "to thizz," which is the state of being high on ecstasy.

"When we find something on campus that is inappropriate, we add it to the (dress code) list," Galindo said.

School officials could not explain what prompted the latest proposal. Assistant Principal Sean Rickey, who enforces the dress code, said that and other questions will be answered at tonight's board meeting.

District officials can make changes to the code at any time that go into effect immediately, Galindo said.

Like most valley high schools, Riverbank students cannot wear hats, bandanas, miniskirts and strapless tops.

In addition, Riverbank High School offers a list of terms consideredunsuitablefor school. It includes "eight ball," "Joe Camel," "Nor Cal," "Rolling Hard," "Sol Beer," "south pole" and "vato loco."

"I'M AN ADDICT FOR SNEAKERS"

I consider myself a fan sneakers, though not quite the connoisseur that some of my friend's might be. Being a fan of something that perpetuates materialism and the exploitation of third world bodies, it eats away at my consciousness.

Though it is always cool to see a network news program cover the subculture of sneaker freaks, as ABC World News did with their segment on the hype surrounding limited edition kicks. Watch the video.

Spotted at Hypebeast (though I still don't believe them).

Also, spotted at another Hype____ site, Hypediss linked up an ill photo gallery of pictures of Chicano "placas" in Los Angeles from the 1970's. Peep it here.

The photo essay documents the culture of Chicano gang graffiti with images of walls as well as offering images of field guides used by Los Angeles law enforcement to interpret and the graffiti. This was a time before the introduction of crack and the evolution the street gangs into a more highly violent and organized social network.

GREG TATE'S EULOGY FOR J.B.

"Eulogy for Black Caeser" by Greg Tate

Eeeeeeyow. Gud gaad. Aintit fonkeenah? James Brown knew how to freak the tribal speak and the tribal feet alike—the tribal neckbone and irrepressible tribal hambone too. Being a poet, a boxer, and a onetime Pentecostal supplicant, the Godfather knew a thing or two about being hit with the spirit and hit with the quickness; he also knew how to hit back, how to respond in kind in a New York minute. Bold, Black, and Beautiful things just happened faster in the world according to Brown. Tempos, terpsichore, tantrums, tangents, even jail time. They didn't call him Mr. Dynamite for nothing. Word is that when the Hardest Working Man in Showbiz did his three-year bid, he stayed industrious, organized a choir, ran the kitchen and laundry detail. Sit-down time for Black Caesar? Fuhgeddaboudit. And unlike so many of our fallen fighters whom dust and base cocaine dropped to the mat in the '80s and '90s, JB came back up as superbaaad as ever. Lest we forget, he transitioned to another world tour by straight stealing Jesus' thunder on Xmas Day. He wasn't ever a puny human to begin with anyway, so don't act surprised.

Full article...

I couldn't have written anything better about the godfather of soul than the godfather of hip-hop journalism.

FAB DISCUSSES GHOSTRIDING ON FOX NEWS

Amid more national and even international attention, fears about the growing trend of ghostridin and related fatalities continue to be sensationalized throughout mainstream media. And now we have Mistah FAB who was brought into Hannity & Colmes to discuss the Bay Area regional tradition:



I think FAB handled himself quite well considering he was only put on the show so that Sean Hannity could try to humiliate him, with chauncey-ass, white-liberal Alan Colmes there to provide some sort of progressive view that these colored people who introduced the trend into suburbia are to blame. FAB kept his composure and tried to discuss the socio-political abandonment that lead the youth begin the regional trend.

Hannity blames FAB's advocacy of ghostridin with his song and video, and FAB counters that it is an urban form of being "extreme" that should be done in a controlled environment. Hannity is deaf to what FAB even said and continued the never ending use of the "rapper as a role model" card.

They show some tidbits of the video for "Ghost Ride It," which look cool, even though the song is still pretty wack.

But my highlight was watching them actually play the footage of that white kid ghostridin his car in the midst of middle class track home territory. Unfortunately the end of this particular clip was cut out, which showed an obviously staged car jack with some random dude in the empty neighborhood proceeding to jump in the car and driving off.

*I'll post up a higher quality video when and if someone YouTubes a better one.