All this week I had been trying to pay no heed to the media stoning of Shirley Sherrod, a former-USDA employee who was fired after a “racist” video of her speaking at the NAACP went viral. Basically, she was explaining that twenty-four years ago she discriminated against a white farmer, and that it was wrong and she ended up saving his farm – and then the video was chopped up to make it seem like she was bragging about discriminating against a white farmer. That’s like taking 50 Cent’s line “I love you like a fat kid loves cake” and making it sound like he’s saying “I like fat kids especially when their faces are covered in cake batter while they’re dragged across the village by angry stallions.”
The shit’s just fucked up. Well of course Keith Olbermann, a.k.a. the white guy who gets more appalled by racism than colored folk, weighs in most eloquently. Just watch the video. He says it all so well. Such a tribute to his race. Damn…was that racist? Please don’t fire me, Nico…unless it means I’ll get a call from Obama.
I thoroughly dig Arcade Fire. Besides just being a great band, they’re also creative with the way they do business and promote their music. Here’s an extremely dope stop-motion trailer promoting their upcoming run at NYC’s Madison Square Garden, which they’ve contracted a “well-known but yet-to-be-announced” director to curate a full livestream. Drizzle’s imagination captivated? Check.
I’m a huge fan of the homie Bambu. Truly one of the first emcees I gravitated to that balances politics with artistry, each project has gotten better while still maintaining the integrity of the message. For “Old Man Raps,” he goes in. With the aid of Xylophone Films, this video takes a snapshot inside the mind of Bam as he reflects on the possible future of his baby son Kahlil. Beautifully shot, beautifully song, and Bam’s pretty ass has some acting skills! Whooda thunk? Shit’s fire.
Alright, ya’ll. We gonna keep posting this amazing dynamic duo on this blog until you stop sleeping. DLRN (did ya’ll change the spelling upon meeting the rock Delorean at SXSW?) has released a follow-up to their 2009 No More Heroes entitled The Bridge.
May I say that I am impressed once again. I mean, seriously. I didn’t think I would be. But nope. Jon Reyes keeps solidifying the sound while 5th Ave continues to take his flow to new levels. Man, fuck ya’ll.
Click the cover to download an amazing piece of music for FREE. I’m on it as well. Search thoroughly…for now check out this track featuring two greats Illecism and Prometheus Brown (Geo of Blue Scholars).
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Posted by drizzletron ·July 21st, 2010 · iLL-Homies
One of the amazing people that I met earlier this month at the NOI New Media Bootcamp was Carlos Roa, who took part in the Trail of Dreams – a 1,500 mile footwalk from Miami to Washington DC (daaaang…helllla long….) to share their stories and experiences as undocumented Americans. A key purpose of this campaign was to support the Dream Act, a piece of legislation that, if passed, would allow for undocumented U.S. college grads an equitable path to citizenship. Sounds like a good idea to me. But Carlos speaks on it much better in the CNN interview above. Hot damn my friends are amazing.
I. Am. Fucking. Exhausted, PEOPLE! Woke up at 4am in Brooklyn yesterday for Nico to drive my ass to LaGuardia to catch a 6am flight, only to have a “strange smell” in my connection flight from Atlanta which caused the entire aircraft to turn around (well of course it was the entire aircraft, this isn’t Lost). When I actually got on my LA-bound flight, I had to sit next to this old flexible dude who kept doing pliés to impress the girls on the flight. When I finally tuched down, I hightailed it to Occidental College to facilitate a workshop at Brave New Voices, the world’s largest youth poetry festival.
There’s something about BNV that keeps me coming back, even after my teen years, and even amidst my somewhat jaded perspective of spoken word. There’s something about seeing brilliant young people in cypher that never ceases to inspire me. BNV is like a ritual…a recharge. Tonight I attended the MC Olympics Qualifier, a subdivision of BNV’s signature slam competition that allowed for the emcees to share their hottest 16 bars. 50 spitters in 3 hours. Hot fiyah. I definitely got my fill.
And I took some purdy pictures. More to come all week long.
“You don’t have to have education to know that you want certain fundamental rights.”
Today is Nelson Mandela‘s 92nd birthday! Dang….hella old…
Certainly, every generation has its greats – those who have undeniably impacted humanity. I would say that ending apartheid is a pretty big deal.
Above is a 1961 interview with who was then a 42-year-old lawyer. I’m always captivated by cultural and political icons in their early years. True, it’s fascinating to see how their lights shine even at their first stages. Even more so, witnessing their growth is inspiring.
Oooooh this rendition of Big Boi’s “Shutterbug” is soooo fresh, especially after seeing The Roots play at Prospect Park a few days ago where they covered one of my flavorite OutKast joints “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” Could there be a bigger collabo project on the way? Hahhhhhhh just instigating shit. That would be hot though. I’m just sayin.
All rights reserved